Burnout is no longer just a wellbeing issue. It has become a talent retention and recruitment challenge, and organizations that fail to address it risk losing high-performing employees at an increasing rate.

According to Tiger Recruitment’s UK Salary and Benefits Guide 2026, burnout is now almost as influential as salary when employees decide to leave their jobs. In our survey of almost 1000 UK professionals, 15% reported resigning due to exhaustion, only one percentage point behind those who left for a pay increase (16%).

For HR leaders, this signals a shift in the employment landscape: pay alone is no longer enough to retain talent. The ability of managers to protect their teams from unsustainable workloads is becoming a critical differentiator.

One of the most effective ways organizations can respond is by training and upskilling managers to recognize and prevent burnout before it becomes a resignation risk.

Burnout is becoming a structural issue in many workplaces

Several workplace trends are accelerating burnout across professional roles.

Our research shows that 84% of desk-based professionals now work overtime, while 68% regularly work weekends.

At the same time, economic uncertainty has led many businesses to operate with leaner teams. Fewer permanent hires and an increased reliance on temporary staff mean that remaining employees are often absorbing additional responsibilities.

The result is a workforce that is productive but increasingly stretched.

Even when companies respond with salary increases, the effect can be limited. The guide found that 39% of professionals who received a 5–10% pay rise still plan to leave their roles within the next 12 months, demonstrating that financial incentives alone cannot resolve deeper workplace pressures.

For HR teams, this reinforces an important reality: burnout is often driven by management practices, not compensation packages.

The role of managers in preventing burnout

Managers sit at the intersection between company expectations and employee wellbeing. When they are equipped with the right skills, they can identify early warning signs and rebalance workloads before employees reach breaking point.

However, many managers are promoted based on technical expertise rather than leadership capability. Without proper training, they may unintentionally contribute to burnout by:

• Allowing workloads to grow without reassessment
• Failing to prioritize tasks effectively
• Normalizing excessive overtime
• Missing early signs of disengagement or exhaustion
• Struggling to communicate expectations clearly

Our research also highlights that culture and management quality continue to influence resignations, particularly among younger professionals and women.

Developing leadership capability is therefore not just a wellbeing initiative, it is a retention strategy.

What burnout prevention training should include

For HR leaders looking to strengthen their management teams, training programs should focus on practical leadership skills rather than abstract theory.

Key areas include:

1. Workload Management and Prioritization

Managers need to evaluate team capacity realistically and adjust workloads, particularly during hiring freezes or restructuring. This can be achieved by mapping tasks and holding regular check-ins to spot overload early. Reallocating or reprioritizing work using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix helps ensure teams focus on the most important and urgent tasks without becoming overstretched.

2. Early Identification of Burnout Signals

Recognizing early signs of stress, such as disengagement, mistakes, or presenteeism, allows managers to intervene before issues escalate. Monitoring behavioral changes through short pulse surveys and having structured, low-pressure conversations gives employees the opportunity to raise concerns and receive support promptly.

3. Psychological Safety and Communication

Employees are far more likely to raise workload or wellbeing concerns when they feel heard and safe. Managers can foster psychological safety by leading through example, acknowledging mistakes and demonstrating openness. Establishing regular feedback loops ensures every team member has a chance to be heard and reinforces a culture of trust and collaboration.

4. Managing Hybrid and Flexible Work Effectively

With satisfaction around workplace flexibility falling to 54%, managers must ensure cohesion and productivity while supporting hybrid or flexible arrangements. Setting clear expectations and measurable goals for both remote and in-office work, along with maintaining consistent touchpoints, keeps teams aligned and connected regardless of location.

5. Supporting Mental Health and Absence Management

Empathetic leadership is increasingly important as employees expect better handling of mental health-related absence. Managers can support their teams by holding compassionate, non-judgmental conversations and planning phased returns or workload adjustments to ensure a sustainable recovery. These approaches help build resilient teams that remain engaged and productive even during challenging periods.

Why burnout prevention is also a recruitment strategy

From a hiring perspective, organizations that fail to address burnout risk damaging their employer brand.

Employees are increasingly prioritizing work–life balance when evaluating new roles, with 73% ranking it as one of the most important factors when considering job opportunities.

In a competitive hiring environment, candidates are paying closer attention to leadership quality, team culture and workload expectations.

Companies known for strong leadership and sustainable workloads will naturally have an advantage when attracting top talent.

Building a more sustainable workforce

Burnout cannot be eliminated entirely, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty or organizational change. However, businesses that invest in leadership development can significantly reduce the risk.

For HR teams, the goal should be to ensure managers are equipped not just to deliver results, but to build resilient teams that can perform sustainably over time.

As our latest research shows, employees are willing to leave roles even when salaries increase if the underlying pressures remain unresolved.

Organizations that recognize this shift and act on it by strengthening their management capability will be better positioned to retain their people and attract the next generation of talent.

The post Why training managers to prevent burnout should be a HR priority in 2026 appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

The world is opening up for the growing number of founders, investors, and entrepreneurs operating from abroad – there are now over 50 countries with digital nomad visas (DNVs) that allow globally-minded individuals to explore new territories without needing to set up a new office. With these modern arrangements, professionals can scale their start-up or build an international business portfolio anywhere, from the heart of the Balkans to a beachfront penthouse in Rio.

With so many countries emerging as digital nomad locations, it can be hard to know where to set sail for. You may already have a particular city in mind, but if your curiosity knows no bounds, we have some suggestions below.

Firstly, there are some considerations you should weigh up to ensure you make the right decision:

• Digital nomad infrastructure – is there widespread, fast Wi-Fi, dedicated spaces for remote working?
• Career opportunities – is there a potential new customer base, and a network of industry peers to help keep your skills and knowledge up to date?
• Climate – do you thrive in the heat, or are you more at home in fresh, Nordic air?
• Application process – each country has its own eligibility rules for securing a DNV, with some, such as Romania, catering to a wide audience, while others like Norway, require a higher income and closer local business ties.
• Transport links – how easily can you travel for meetings? Is there an international airport, a marina for yachts, or a reliable chauffeur service?
• Culture – are you a foodie, art lover, or sports fanatic? Do you prefer a hike on the weekend or exploring the nightlife?

With these factors in mind, let’s look at some of the best countries and best cities for digital nomads.

Portugal

With Lisbon and Porto frequently placing in the top ten of the world’s best digital nomad cities, Portugal should be a consideration for everyone. It has a high quality of life, fantastic climate, and a wealth of culture and history. Lisbon has become a global hub for entrepreneurs, particularly in tech, so the possibilities for networking and scaling up are vast.

Portugal’s digital nomad visas allow you to stay temporarily for up to three years, with the option to apply for longer-term and permanent residency, further boosting Portugal’s reputation as one of the best countries for digital nomads. Applicants must have a minimum monthly income of €3,480, sufficient savings and proof of self-employment or other contract outside Portugal.

Top cities

Lisbon – networking, thriving culture, nightlife, Michelin-star dining

Porto – laid-back lifestyle, art, local heritage

Malaysia

With its fast-growing economy, Malaysia is an exciting place to be right now, and a great strategic base for expansion into ASEAN markets. Cities like the capital, Kuala Lumpur, have a modern infrastructure and English-speaking business sector that makes comfortable living and remote working viable. Of course, the incredible scenery, tropical climate, and delicious food are also a big plus.

Malaysia has one of the easiest digital nomad visas to apply for, with an entirely online process and the option to live in the country for up to two years. There are no restricted nationalities, and the minimum required monthly income is $2,000 USD.

Top cities

Kuala Lumpur – modern infrastructure, international connections, nightlife

Penang – coastal living, history, culture, cuisine capital

Brazil

A recent adopter of digital nomad visas, Brazil is a great option for those with an adventurous spirit. Famously one of the most naturally diverse and beautiful countries in the world, Brazil also has excellent infrastructure for remote working in buzzy melting pots like São Paulo, one of the world’s best cities for digital nomads.  You may choose to visit for a taste of the country-wide Carnival each February/March, or the São Paulo F1 Grand Prix in November, but no matter the dates, there’s no shortage of world-class dining, entertainment and fellow entrepreneurs to connect with.

Brazil’s digital nomad visas are for one year, with an option to renew for one more year. They require a minimum monthly income of $1,500 USD, and that your work is based outside of Brazil.

Top cities

São Paulo– business capital, networking, international connectivity

Brasilia – capital city, modernist architecture, mild climate

Florianopolis – beaches, laid-back, large digital nomad community

Croatia

A fantastic option for connectivity across EU countries, Croatia also has the benefit of a Mediterranean climate and coastline and a rich history. Popular destinations like Split and Dubrovnik lie on the coast, where luxury seaside properties and hotels are in abundance, while the capital Zagreb is inland, with many of the best museums and galleries in the country, as well as a thriving start-up scene.

DNVs in Croatia are available to non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals with a monthly income of at least €3,295, and are granted for up to 18 months. With the community quickly growing, this is no doubt one of the best digital nomad visas available.

Top cities

Split – large digital nomad community, strong digital infrastructure, coastal Mediterranean lifestyle

Zagreb – capital city, culture, history, less busy tourist season, growing entrepreneur community for networking opportunities

Spain

Spain is as popular for digital nomads as it is for tourists, and for good reason: the country’s DNV has a very generous limit of up to five years and allows for family members to accompany the applicant. There’s a huge variety between the many historic cities and regions of the country, from the Basque Country to the Balearic Islands, so it’s an appealing choice for those who like to stay on the move. The country’s historic ties to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas make it a melting pot of international trade and business, providing ample networking opportunities.

Spain’s DNV requirements include a non-EU/EEA nationality, employment outside of the country, a university degree or three years’ professional experience and minimum monthly earnings of €3,000.

Top cities

Barcelona – thriving culture, international hub, great networking, digital infrastructure

Madrid – business capital, historic culture, international connections

Valencia – laid-back, beach culture, growing community

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are many more countries with digital nomad visas on offer for the adventurous entrepreneur. But with these pins in your map, many more digital nomad locations will come into your range, as well as endless opportunities for business, career and network growth.

If your business is growing and in need of additional full or part-time employees, our recruiters are ready to help. Get in touch with your requirements today. We also offer an Employer of Record service if you are looking to hire employees abroad.

The post Best Countries and Cities for Digital Nomads: Top Locations and Easiest Visas appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

“Tiger really understands what we’re looking for, so I don’t have to explain everything each time. The candidates are always well researched and a good fit. They only send through the right number of CVs, which makes the whole process far easier and gives us confidence in every hire.”

Company Details

Industry: Investment management

Role: Various

Headcount: 60+

Division: Business support & finance

The Challenge

As the business grew, the operations director faced increasing pressure to scale support functions efficiently while maintaining quality and consistency at the senior level. Historically, the company had worked with other recruitment agencies, but as expansion accelerated, the need for reliable, long-term assistant support became more critical.

Speed, candidate quality and confidence in the hiring process were key challenges. With limited internal bandwidth and high expectations from senior stakeholders, there was little room for error. The business needed a recruitment partner that genuinely understood their environment and could deliver strong candidates without lengthy briefing or excessive resumes.

The Solution

The business began working with Tiger in 2021 to support assistant hires. The recruiter invested time in understanding the organization’s culture, working style and stakeholder expectations. This allowed the team to work with minimal direction, consistently delivering a small number of highly relevant candidates rather than relying on volume.

Through thorough research and careful screening, Tiger ensured candidates not only met the technical requirements of each role but were also well-suited to the business long-term. This trusted, consultative approach reduced the need for repeated explanations and significantly streamlined the hiring process.

The Impact

Over time, the business hired several assistants through Tiger. Three assistants currently in the organization were placed by the recruiter, while two others remained in their roles for around two years, providing stability and continuity during periods of growth.

The consistency and reliability of the service reduced pressure on the operations director and gave senior stakeholders confidence that the right people were being introduced to the business. Knowing that Tiger could manage the process end-to-end allowed internal teams to focus on their core responsibilities.

Looking Ahead

We continue to support the business with assistant hires as they evolve. With a strong understanding of the organization and a trusted partnership in place, Tiger remains a key recruitment partner for business support roles as the company continues to grow.

The post Case Studies: Complete Confidence in Every Hire appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

“They were everything we could have asked for — always on hand, very engaged, and a real pleasure to work with. The process was clear, straightforward, and completely tailored to what we were looking for. The candidates put forward were excellent, and we were kept in the loop throughout. I couldn’t speak more highly of Tiger and would absolutely recommend working with them.”

The Challenge

In August, the employer engaged Tiger Recruitment to assist with the hire of an executive assistant to support senior leadership. The business required a highly capable EA who could operate with discretion, manage competing priorities, and seamlessly integrate into an established team.

Given the importance of the role, the employer was looking for a recruitment partner who could take the time to fully understand their working style, expectations, and culture. They needed confidence that the candidates presented would be both technically strong and the right personal fit.

Clear communication and a well-managed recruitment process were also key, as the role sat at the heart of the business.

The Solution

Tiger led a tailored and highly engaged recruitment process, working closely with the client to build a detailed understanding of what they were looking for in an Executive Assistant. From the outset, the approach was collaborative, with regular updates and clear guidance at every stage of the process.

A strong shortlist of high-quality candidates was presented, each carefully selected to reflect the client’s requirements. The employer noted that the candidates put forward were consistently strong and that Tiger demonstrated a clear understanding of the role and the wider business needs.

Throughout the process, Tiger remained readily available, coordinating interviews, managing feedback, and ensuring the client felt fully supported. Communication remained seamless, even when queries arose outside of typical working hours, reinforcing the consultative and hands-on nature of the service.

The Impact

The successful appointment delivered immediate value to the business, with the new executive assistant continuing to work closely with the client. The employer highlighted not only the quality of the hire, but also the clarity and simplicity of the recruitment process itself.

The tailored approach, combined with consistent communication and coordination, resulted in a smooth and efficient hiring experience that exceeded expectations.

Looking ahead

Following the success of this hire, the employer is currently working with Tiger Recruitment on an additional role. While this next position also sits within business support, the client has confirmed they would be happy to partner with Tiger across other divisions in the future, reflecting the strength of the relationship and confidence in the team’s tailored recruitment approach.

The post Case Study: Delivering the Right Executive Assistant, First Time appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Company details

Industry: Real Estate Investment & Development

Role: HR Director

Headcount: 75 (UK-based, with European offices)

Division: Human Resources

The Challenge

The employer is one of the UK’s largest multi-let urban logistics property developer and investment asset manager, with a strong ESG-led approach and ambitious growth plans across Europe. As the business expanded beyond the UK, the need for a senior HR leader became increasingly clear.

The organisation required an HR Director with the depth and breadth of experience to support a growing, multi-jurisdictional workforce. This individual would need to navigate complex European employment legislation, support entity set-up across new territories, and work closely with senior leadership to build scalable people processes aligned with the business’s long-term strategy.

Given the seniority of the role, its breadth of responsibility, and the requirement for hands-on experience across multiple European markets, this was a highly specialist search.

The Solution

Tiger HR led a targeted and highly focused search. The brief centred on identifying candidates with proven experience operating across the UK and Europe, particularly those who had supported expansion into markets such as France and Germany and had first-hand experience of establishing HR infrastructure within new entities.

They conducted a discreet headhunt, prioritising candidates with strong technical HR expertise, a solid grasp of European employment law and compliance, and the ability to partner confidently with C-suite stakeholders. Throughout the process, clear communication and a streamlined approach ensured minimal administration for the client while maintaining momentum.

The shortlist presented closely aligned with the employers requirements, enabling them to appoint an HR Director who could immediately support both day-to-day operations and longer-term strategic objectives.

The Impact

The successful candidate is expected to play a pivotal role in supporting the employers continued growth across the UK and Europe. Their appointment strengthens the business’s HR capability at a critical point in its international expansion and provides senior leadership with the expertise needed to manage risk, compliance and culture across multiple jurisdictions.

Feedback

“The process was straightforward and efficient, with clear communication throughout. The shortlist met our expectations very well, and the successful candidate exceeded them.”

Looking ahead

Following the successful appointment of the HR Director, Tiger HR continues to partner with the employer on further hires across business support functions, supporting the organisation as it scales both in the UK and internationally.

The post Case Study: Appointing a senior HR Director to support European growth appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

When changes in senior leadership suddenly occur within an organisation and there is no strong affirmative succession plan in line, can a company survive? With the market fluctuating both rapidly and unpredictably, the disappearance of valuable members in a company’s body has become more apparent and frequent. A solution that invites continuity that is often overlooked is succession planning; This introduces growth within an organisation, employee morale and progression, and allows for a company to be prepared rather than reactive. If it’s this easy, why is succession planning not being implemented?

The job market is in such a competitive landscape due to economic data release, investor behaviour, geopolitical events and corporate news, and these factors are leading to quiet resignations, client poaching and natural bias to external hires. These stark changes cause companies to scramble and make urgent responses that are not always in their best interest, potentially costing millions as well as tainting the working environment. Whilst succession planning is a reactive response, it doesn’t have to be desperate and disjointed

Proactive succession allows for a range of steps to be taken to ensure stability- steps which should be led by an HR senior. The approach would include identifying critical roles, assessing employees who embody both technical and soft skills that can be nurtured, and investing in internal development such as mentorship, training, and project work. Succession agility will allow the company to pivot no matter the market condition, and using tools in anticipation allows for continuity if a company loses a key employee.

Senior leaders within HR will be key in driving the continuity resulting from succession planning. This role should be conveyed as a strategic partnership as opposed to process ownership because they will be the ones embedding the plans into the workforce. HR will have the knowledge on all candidates that can fill in the gaps when skilled people depart; they know the career aspirations of the people and who the high-potential clients are. They have the understanding and knowledge to communicate transparently with the board and stakeholders, encouraging growth within the company as opposed to external recruitment. This will also boost office morale and progression, which also tackles the quiet disappearances of current employees.

The geopolitical and economic state of the world is taking a toll on businesses globally, and people are rightfully making decisions to better their living situations, but where does that leave the company? Adapting to the ever-changing market demands is crucial, especially during this economic climate, and succession planning, along with the use of HR professionals, can alleviate a lot of future stresses. What are the ways your organisation is future-proofing leadership?

The post The Need for Succession Planning in a Volatile Market appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

When contemplating a career move, aspiring to a more senior position represents not only an opportunity for professional growth but also a substantive increase in responsibility and accountability. The decision to pursue a higher-level role requires careful evaluation of your capabilities and career objectives.

Evaluating your capability for advancement

A higher-level position typically entails expanded responsibilities, which may include overseeing teams, managing complex projects and making critical business decisions. Before pursuing such a role, reflect on your comfort with accountability, decision-making and leadership. Consider whether your experience has sufficiently prepared you to guide others effectively or whether further skill development, mentorship or exposure to complex initiatives would strengthen your readiness.

To assess suitability, review your current contributions and achievements. Identify experiences that demonstrate leadership, cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management. For example:

• Leading projects that span multiple teams or departments
• Mentoring or developing junior colleagues
• Successfully navigating organizational change or complexity

Understanding the scope of responsibility

Prior to committing to a new role, ensure clarity on the scope and expectations. Senior roles often involve:

• Managing larger or more diverse teams
• Handling complex, multi-stakeholder projects
• Navigating higher levels of accountability to the business or board

Engage hiring managers in a dialogue to understand success metrics, performance evaluation cadence and leadership expectations. Some questions might include:

• How is success defined in the first six to twelve months?
• How is performance measured, and how frequently is it reviewed?
• What leadership style does my manager employ?

Evaluating the total impact, beyond compensation

While remuneration is an important consideration, it should not be the sole driver of a career move. According to Tiger Recruitment’s recent salary and benefits survey, 15% of US professionals left roles due to burnout, nearly equaling the 12% who departed for higher compensation.

Senior positions frequently come with elevated expectations, longer hours, and increased pressure. A higher salary may be insufficient compensation if it conflicts with your values, work-life balance, or engagement with meaningful work.

Strategic decision-making

Ultimately, deciding to pursue a senior role should balance capability, opportunity and fit. Consider:

• Are you equipped to manage increased responsibility effectively?
• Could additional experience or mentoring enhance your readiness?
• Does the organization recognize your potential and support your development?
• Does the role align with your long-term career trajectory?

A deliberate and strategic approach to career advancement increases the likelihood of a successful and fulfilling transition, ensuring that your progression enhances both professional impact and personal satisfaction.

The post Assessing your readiness for a senior role appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

For years, jobseekers have been advised that sending a post-interview thank-you note is essential, a sign of professionalism that can tip the scales in their favor. But in today’s hiring market, that advice isn’t one-size-fits-all. Depending on your level of seniority, the role you’re applying for, and even the company, a thank-you note might not always be appropriate.

So, before you hit “send”, it’s worth pausing to consider whether you should follow up with your potential new employer post-interview.

When a Thank-You Note Adds Value

If you’re interviewing for a business support role, such as a PA, or a client-facing role, a brief, thoughtful thank-you note can solidify professionalism and good communication. These are skills important to the role that you’re interviewing for, which help to further solidify your fit. It shows that you value the interviewer’s time, and it can leave a positive impression.

As Rebecca Siciliano, Tiger Recruitment’s Managing Director, says, “It’s definitely a good thing to do. I’d recommend it 100% of the time if you’ve applied directly to a role and have the contact details of the scheduler. It’s an opportunity to reiterate any responses you feel you could have addressed better in the interview, and it shows genuine interest.”

You could use the thank-you note to briefly highlight why the position excites you, or to reflect on a topic discussed that aligns with your experience. These small touches often complement other strong interview techniques that demonstrate professionalism and enthusiasm. This can be particularly effective in competitive hiring processes, where small details can distinguish one strong candidate from another. A thank-you email sent within 24 hours keeps you fresh in the interviewer’s memory and shows that you are proactive, engaged and genuinely interested in the role.

When It Might Not Be Necessary

If you’re interviewing for a role at a senior or executive level, a thank-you note is unlikely to influence the hiring decision. At this level, interviews are focused on strategic alignment, leadership capability, and long-term value, rather than etiquette or follow-up gestures.

It may also be inappropriate to reach out directly. For example, if your interview process is being managed entirely through a recruiter, it’s best to let them handle any communication. Contacting the hiring manager directly can appear as though you’re bypassing established channels or disregarding the process. Similarly, avoid the temptation to reach out on LinkedIn.

As Angela Lopes, Director and Head of the City Office, says, “I don’t think candidates should reach out to hiring managers unless they have shared their contact details and invited them to do so. Otherwise, it can create an awkward situation if the positive feedback isn’t mutual.”

Additionally, if you’re not working with a recruiter and the company has made it clear that the next steps will be taken through HR or your recruitment consultant, it’s advisable to hold off on sending a message directly without speaking to your direct contact first.

Ask Your Recruiter First

Every company and hiring process has different expectations. That’s why your recruiter is your best guide. They work very closely with the hiring manager and understand their preferences. They can advise whether a thank-you note is appropriate, when to send it and what tone to take.

In some cases, your recruiter may even offer to pass along your appreciation directly, which can be a more suitable approach for some employers or senior-level positions.

Summary

Ultimately, there’s no universal rule. A thank-you note should never feel like a box-ticking exercise, but rather a genuine continuation of professional conversation.

If it adds value, it’s worth considering. But if it risks coming across as forced, it may be better to hold back. When in doubt, ask your recruiter; they’ll know the best approach for each situation.

The post Should You Send a Post-Interview Thank-You Note? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Company details

Industry: Strategic Advisory and Intelligence Firm
Headcount: ~200 globally
First placement made: 2021
Division: Business Support (Executive Assistants, Administrative Temps, HR)
Number of placements: 15

The Challenge

For many years, the client relied on a single recruitment agency to hire PAs (now EAs). That relationship worked well until standards began to slip, leaving the business without a trusted partner.

With hiring needs growing as the company expanded from 45 employees to around 200, the client needed a recruitment agency that could take the time to understand the firm’s values, find the right calibre of candidates, and build a lasting relationship. They preferred to work with one recruiter who “just gets us,” rather than having to repeat requirements to multiple agencies.

After testing several firms, including both boutique and high-volume recruiters, the client engaged Tiger Recruitment.

The Solution

From the outset, Tiger Recruitment stood out by focusing on relationship-building and cultural understanding. Working closely with the hiring manager, our consultant quickly grasped the types of profiles that would thrive in the business, while also ensuring diversity of thought and background rather than providing “carbon copies.”

The client described Tiger’s approach as one where their consultant “just nailed it” – consistently presenting candidates who not only had the skills required but also fit seamlessly into the team dynamic.

Tiger’s long-standing partnership with The Oxford Media & Business School (OMBS) was also highlighted as a differentiator, giving the client confidence in the calibre of entry-level candidates. Alongside this, Tiger maintained transparency when the market was challenging, setting realistic expectations.

Over time, the relationship has become one of familiarity and trust: “It’s easy, it’s familiar. We don’t use anyone else now.”

The Impact

Tiger Recruitment has had a measurable impact on the client’s recruitment strategy:

• Efficiency in hiring: fewer unsuitable CVs, saving managers’ time.
• High-quality hires: many of the firm’s EAs have come through Tiger, creating instant recognition and shared standards within the team.
• Trusted relationships: strong rapport with individual consultants ensures continuity and confidence in the recruitment process.
• Added value beyond recruitment: regular attendance at Tiger’s seminars and use of resources such as DEI and neurodiversity reports has enriched the client’s HR and leadership teams.

Client Feedback

• “She just gets us – the profile, the culture, and the diversity we need.”
• “Tiger makes our recruitment processes more efficient because we’re not wasting time with rubbish candidates.”
• “We don’t use other agents in London anymore – it’s easy, it’s familiar.”

Looking Ahead

While the firm doesn’t anticipate major expansion in the immediate future, Tiger Recruitment remains the first call for EA and administrative hires. The client continues to recommend Tiger to peers and values the partnership as a cornerstone of their recruitment strategy.

Disclaimer: This case study is based on the experience of a real client. For confidentiality reasons, their identity has been withheld. If you would like to speak directly with one of our clients about their experience working with us, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange an introduction.

The post Case Study: Beyond Carbon Copies – Recruiting for Company Values and Diversity appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Company details

Industry: Global Private Equity Investment Firm
Headcount: 600+
Division: Business Support
Number of placements: 7

The Challenge

When our client stepped into their current role, they inherited a large business support function comprising approximately 25 staff members. With so many direct reports to oversee, they required a recruitment partner who could deliver high-calibre candidates who would complement the existing team and bring long-term value.

While they had known Tiger Recruitment for years, initially as a candidate themselves, the choice of agency came down to quality. Other agencies often submitted numerous CVs without proper screening, leaving the hiring manager to request additional CVs. The challenge was finding a partner who understood both the demands of the role and the nuances of team culture, ensuring every introduction was worthwhile.

The Solution

Tiger Recruitment built a strong working relationship with the client by investing time in understanding their needs. Through regular feedback sessions and ongoing communication, the agency developed a deep understanding of the client’s management style and the types of personalities that would thrive in their team.

By carefully screening candidates before submission and prioritising quality over quantity, Tiger ensured that every CV sent to the client was relevant and well-matched. This approach saved time while increasing the likelihood of long-term success.

This method led to several successful placements, including a new receptionist and team assistant who are “absolutely smashing it,” as well as a calm, steady EA whose personality perfectly complements the existing team. Tiger Recruitment’s approach ensures hires not only meet the skill requirements but also add diversity and balance to the team dynamic.

The Impact

Tiger Recruitment’s partnership has had a transformative effect on the client’s business support team. The impact includes:

• High-performing hires who have quickly added value and shown strong long-term potential.
• A stronger team dynamic, with complementary personalities enhancing collaboration.
• A trusted recruitment process, removing the frustration of reviewing unsuitable CVs.
• A boutique, high-standard service, aligning with the client’s view of Tiger as a “quality” brand within the recruitment market.

Client Feedback

• “Tiger Recruitment just gets it. They absolutely smash it out of the park.”
• “I don’t get 10 CVs for the sake of it – it’s quality over quantity, which I appreciate.”
• “I’m not sure what I’d do without them. They have oodles of patience and flexibility.”
• “It feels boutique, elite – Tiger is well known now, and the quality is super high.”

Looking Ahead

The client continues to work with several agencies, but Tiger Recruitment remains firmly in their top three and often their first choice. They regularly recommend Tiger to peers, confident in both the speed of response and the quality of delivery.

Disclaimer: This case study is based on the experience of a real client. For confidentiality reasons, their identity has been withheld. If you would like to speak directly with one of our clients about their experience working with us, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange an introduction.

The post Case Study: Less CVs, Better Fits – How Tiger Recruitment Saves Time appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Company details

Industry: Executive Search

Company headcount: 20-25

First placement made: 2019

Division: Business Support (PAs)

Number of placements: 8

The Challenge

Our client required reliable PA support for each of their partners. With four partners, each supported by a PA, alongside a Head of Operations, the firm’s structure demanded administrative staff who could balance both partner support and wider office responsibilities.

While they experimented with another agency for one PA hire, the candidate proved an unsuitable fit, highlighting the need for an agency that truly understood their business culture and expectations. This experience reinforced the importance of working with a long-term, trusted partner who could deliver the right talent consistently.

The Solution

Over the past 6.5 years, Tiger Recruitment has successfully placed the client’s entire PA team. From their longest-serving PA, who will celebrate seven years with the business in January, to their most recent hire earlier this year, every placement has been carefully matched to the unique requirements of both individual partners and the wider operations team.

When a previous hire outside of Tiger did not work out, the client immediately returned to Tiger, recognising the value of an agency that “just gets it.” By investing time in understanding the nuances of each partner’s working style – from high-demand requests to balancing personal and professional support – we were able to source candidates who not only excel in administrative duties but also integrate seamlessly into the firm’s culture.

Tiger Recruitment also provided valuable benchmarking insights during salary discussions, ensuring compensation remained competitive while reflecting the demands of the role.

The Impact

The result has been a stable, high-performing PA team that has revolutionised the client’s operations. By alleviating administrative pressures, partners have been able to focus on client delivery, while the Head of Operations has confidence that day-to-day tasks are managed smoothly.

Each PA placed has contributed beyond traditional administrative duties, taking on wider responsibilities across IT, office management, and charitable initiatives. This has created a highly collaborative operations team where every member adds measurable value.

The client highlights that Tiger’s ability to consistently deliver the right candidates has “taken the stress out of admin,” with hires tailored to the personality and demands of each partner.

Client Feedback

• “I just trust Tiger and their judgment. They know what’s important to us as a business and always deliver.”
• “I recommend Tiger all the time. I don’t even think about the referral prize; I just know they offer a good service.”
• “It has revolutionised the team because it takes the stress out of admin.”

Looking Ahead

While the client’s operations team is now at full capacity, they remain committed to Tiger as their recruitment partner should future needs arise. Having recommended Tiger to others within their professional network, the relationship continues to strengthen beyond direct hiring.

The trust built over years of successful placements ensures Tiger Recruitment remains their go-to partner for PA recruitment.

The post Case Study: How Tiger Recruitment Transformed One Firm’s Admin Team appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Company Details

Company industry: Renewable Energy

Company headcount:25-30

First placement made: 2018

Division: Business Support (Receptionists)

Number of placements: 13

The Challenge

In 2018, our client began looking for a recruitment partner to support them with administrative hires. At the time, they were seeking a receptionist to ease the pressure on existing staff and wanted a candidate who could grow with the company. Having not worked with other agencies previously, they turned to Tiger Recruitment to provide the right solution.

The Solution

We quickly introduced a strong candidate who matched not only the immediate need for reception support but also had the potential to progress into more senior responsibilities. This hire proved highly successful, remaining with the business and advancing within the organisation, where they continue to be a valued member of the team today.

Since then, we have continued to partner with the client exclusively for administrative recruitment. Each receptionist placed has gone on to take on more senior responsibilities, creating a clear progression pathway within their team. Our approach of understanding the role requirements and providing high-calibre candidates has ensured a seamless recruitment process every time.

The Impact

The client notes that our service has consistently made them “look good” to their team and leadership, thanks to the calibre of candidates delivered. They value the efficiency of our consultants, the speed of response, and the assurance that submitted CVs always align closely with the job description.

By continuing to use our temp-to-perm offering, the client has been able to secure exceptional talent who not only meet their immediate requirements but also contribute to their longer-term growth.

Client Feedback

• “The calibre of people who come through is fantastic, I know I won’t be sent someone who isn’t right for the role.”
• “Tiger are really efficient, responsive, and always deliver quickly, even in emergencies.”

Looking Ahead

Our relationship with this client continues to strengthen, with introductions being made to other organisations through their professional networks. The trust built over years of successful placements has established Tiger Recruitment as their go-to partner for administrative roles.

Disclaimer: This case study is based on the experience of a real client. For confidentiality reasons, their identity has been withheld. If you would like to speak directly with one of our clients about their experience working with us, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange an introduction.

The post Case Study: How One Reception Hire Sparked a Long-Term Partnership appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Inclusive hiring has always been at the forefront of my mind throughout my career. Prior to becoming a recruiter, my interest stemmed from my own lived experience, from reflecting on inequalities during maternity leave and supporting my neurodivergent daughter to witnessing the wider impact of movements like Black Lives Matter. When I stepped up into a leadership role, my experiences evolved into responsibility, I now had an obligation to use my position to drive meaningful change.

I’ve worked with professionals across a number of industries but one area I’ve seen a consistent need for change is neurodiversity in hiring. For most employers, the confidence to act on their desire to change is often lacking. HR leaders have such a crucial role in closing this gap.

So what can HR leaders do to build confidence around Neurodiversity in Hiring?

Be vulnerable

A couple of years ago, I shared a LinkedIn post about neurodiversity in hiring, and by doing so I was unexpectedly inundated with messages from individuals who I had encouraged to share their own experiences. A senior candidate who had applied for a role I was advertising reached out to say the post had given them the courage to disclose their neurodivergence to the employer, which was something they hadn’t spoken about since she was in school. With reasonable adjustments made to the recruitment process they were able to display their suitability for the role and as a result, were offered the job. I saw the impact of simply being transparent and learnt how valuable it is to share your own experience, because it might encourage someone else to do the same.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Most employers are eager to support neurodiverse candidates, but often aren’t sure how. Some say the terminology is daunting, or are afraid they might say or do something to offend. Others just aren’t sure what accommodations might look like in practice and worry it might just cause confusion. Encouragingly, this is beginning to change. More businesses are educating employees on bias in job adverts and including positive action statements explicitly welcoming neurodiverse applicants. But it’s not just about what you say that will have the most impact, but how you act. HR leaders should feel empowered to ask questions, seek guidance and work together to create a process that works for everyone.

Challenge the status quo

A huge part of a recruiter’s role is constructively challenging hiring processes that inadvertently exclude talent. I recently supported a neurodivergent candidate who asked for the interview questions in advance. At first, the employer felt this might give her an unfair advantage, but I suggested the questions should be shared with all applicants. Although their resistance resulted in the candidate withdrawing from the process, the next time I partnered with them, they implemented this change from the outset. I worked with them to prepare the questions further in advance, to allow them to be distributed. As a result, the interviews were more structured and insightful, and the panel was better prepared.

Similarly, I worked with a leading non-profit to rework their recruitment process for a director of people role. Instead of submitting their CV, applicants were given the opportunity to answer three questions, in a written or spoken format. Candidates also experienced inclusive language, an adapted format and received job packs. They were given clear fixed timelines for each stage of the recruitment process and were provided with financial support for travel and additional childcare costs required to attend the interview. Most importantly, the interview process featured structured questions with clear criteria, levelling the playing field for each of the applicants. As a result, the successful candidate was neurodivergent and they have since played a pivotal role in applying the same changes across the organisation.

Consider the working environment

Candidates who successfully navigate an inclusive recruitment process, don’t necessarily thrive in the workplace. More often than not, employers place so much importance on the accommodations made during the interview that there’s not much support once they start their job. As a result, a new hire feels let down and may struggle to perform to the best of their ability. On a basic level, employers should consider the working environment, offer flexible working arrangements, provide clear onboarding documentation and regularly check in on what’s working and what isn’t.

Start Small

Businesses often fear making adjustments for candidates because they think it’s expensive and time-consuming. However, it’s possible to make simple changes to the recruitment process that cost nothing. Employers can create a psychologically safe environment by merely asking the question, “Are there any reasonable adjustments required?” This will make them more comfortable disclosing their neurodivergence, even if it’s at a later stage in the recruitment process. Other examples include providing interview questions in advance, offering extra time for tasks or providing clear, structured communication.

I’ve seen firsthand how transformative inclusive hiring can be, for both the candidate and employer. A candidate I worked with has since launched a neurodiversity committee at their organisation, another helped reshape an entire onboarding process. As HR leaders, we don’t need to have all the answers but we must be willing to listen and learn. As a result, we create workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, which is beneficial for all.

The post How HR Leaders Can Build Confidence Around Neurodiversity in Hiring appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

In today’s fast-moving job market, more professionals, at all levels of seniority, are turning to temporary work.

As Ruth Edwards, Head of Tiger Recruitment’s US operations, reports, “Fractional work is unlocking meaningful opportunities across all professional levels, including the C-suite.”

There are many reasons why a professional may choose to do temp work. Some may have been made redundant, others may fit temp work around another commitment, such as a creative pursuit or parenthood, or to gain the relevant experience. Temporary work can range in length – some temp placements can be for a day; others can be for several months.

Could temping be for you? With plenty of benefits, it could just be the perfect career path.

It presents a challenge

Temporary assignments can be extremely challenging as you will need to pick up processes, procedures and policies very quickly. You will likely be required to cover a workload for a member of staff who is out of the office, so there’s a chance there won’t even be a handover. For this reason, you’ll need to be able to pick up tasks with little to no direction, using your common sense and initiative to figure tasks out.

Experience

Working as a temp will allow you to develop your skillset and gain fantastic experience, which you can then add to your resume. A broad resume that displays several skills is very appealing to employers and may well get you the job over another applicant.

Remember to update your resume regularly while temping, noting key achievements within a role. Think about what will appeal to those reviewing your resume, and try to sell yourself.

Temporary work works extremely well for those straight out of education, as it allows you to ‘try before you buy’, while building up essential experience that will bode well when you eventually decide to pursue permanent work.

Flexible working

The flexibility of temp work is what makes it appealing to so many people.  If you communicate your availability to your consultant, the temporary working world is your oyster.

As temporary working assignments can vary in length, you can choose exactly how long you’d like to work for, making your work life work for you.

Confidence boost

Starting a new job can be daunting, whether it is temporary or permanent. Taking those first steps into work is nerve-wracking. However, taking on temporary work placements means you’ll be required to do this regularly, which will increase your confidence immensely. You will build your people’s skills each time you step foot in a new office and find new ways to strike up a conversation or get to know your colleagues. Building your confidence will also help you when it comes to interviewing elsewhere for new roles.

Networking opportunities

Often, when job seekers first move to an area, they can walk straight into a great temporary job and gain experience and income quickly. Moving to a new area can be difficult, and the idea of leaving friends and family behind is a scary thought. By working as a temp, you will be meeting new people regularly. You will be constantly building new relationships and making great friends!

Paid holiday

Did you know that temporary workers also have the right to claim holiday pay? When temping through Tiger, you remain on our payroll, so your holiday pay accrues across all placements. You can usually get this paid out should you not want to use it. If you have any questions about holiday pay as a temp, feel free to get in touch with the temp team.

Opportunity

Temporary work could be that all-important foot in the door with employers. They could ask you to come back each time to cover an absence. Not only this, but temporary work could lead to a permanent position within the company. Your employer may see great potential in you and will not want to let you go. We see a high instance of candidates starting in a temporary role and going permanent. Think of every temp job as an interview and initial introduction to a company.
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If you’re looking for temp work, submit your resume today.

The post The Benefits of Temp Work appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

The introduction of AI to our lives has disrupted the way we all work, whether that’s positive or negative depends on who you ask, but when it comes to job applications, we advise steering away from the temptation of using it.

As AI becomes more accessible, professionals are resorting to using it in many areas of their jobs. AI tools like ChatGPT have over 5.19 billion visits a month, whilst sitting at number 5 of the most visited sites in April 2025.

Although there is an argument that AI streamlines the work we are doing day-to-day, it should be avoided in your job search. David Morel, Tiger’s CEO reports that he’s seen “a significant increase in employers pushing back on applicants who submit resume’s generated by AI”. Simply speaking, by using AI in your job search, you’re putting yourself at a huge disadvantage behind those who don’t.

We see this all the time with candidates at all levels of seniority, and they wonder how something so useful can place you at a disadvantage. There are several reasons why this is the case.

1. AI doesn’t know you

It’s important to keep in mind that AI doesn’t know you. It doesn’t understand your work experience, motivations for applying for a role, and what makes you tick. You can feed the tool your resume and give it the information about a role you’re applying for. But we all know a resume merely touches the surface of the achievements you’ve had over your working life.

When it comes to placing someone in a new role, companies, of course, look for experience and knowledge, but they also place importance on value alignment.  An AI-generated resume isn’t something that can demonstrate your personality and how you’d fit within a team. Hiring managers want to understand who you are, not just what you’ve done.

2. AI doesn’t replace human touch

We’ve all seen those LinkedIn posts outlining how to spot AI-generated content, with a particular spotlight on the “em dash”, but what many people don’t realize is that there is so much more that gives away that a resume has been created using AI. It loses a human touch and authenticity; it’s almost crafted too perfectly and robotically. That doesn’t mean to say you should generate an AI resume and add a few mistakes to make it seem like you’ve created it. It’s more about losing the robotic tone.

3. Don’t even think about using it for interviews

The issue with using AI for interviews is that you’re going to end up with answers the same as any other candidate in the process, which isn’t going to do much for you when you’re trying to stand out. Moreover, when you’re asked skill-based interview questions, which are incredibly common in an interview, AI doesn’t understand your experience or know every example of where you have shown a certain skill. Only you can give a genuine answer about your experience.

Thinking of using AI to feed your answers during a live interview? Don’t do it. Interviewers can tell, and it instantly raises red flags. Your preparation ahead of the interview should give you enough confidence to go into the room and show the value you’d bring to a team. However, if you’re presented with a question that you’re unsure of how to answer, you can always ask for it to be rephrased in another way or explain that it’s a knowledge gap, but you’re eager to learn more.

Employers don’t want perfection when it comes to interviews, which is what AI has led us to believe. But the truth is, not many of us can keep that level of perfection up. Hiring managers want to see someone who’s passionate and eager to learn. Giving robotic answers that are fed to you during an interview isn’t going to match that brief.

4. What can AI help me with?

If you’re looking to use AI, you can explore software that offers speech feedback, which will analyze your tone and speaking voice to make sure what you’re saying is coming across as you planned. However, no analytical tool can prepare you for the natural pivots that happen in an interview, so it’s important to be mindful that this will only help you to a certain extent.

Taking all these points into consideration, it’s important to remember the value you can bring to a role and understand this isn’t something that can be described for you. If you’re struggling to convey this yourself, reach out to a recruitment agency that can support you and help you put your best foot forward.

AI can be a valuable tool at times, but your personality, potential and passion are what truly set you apart in job applications.

Explore our latest roles or submit your resume today.

The post Why AI Won’t Get You Job Interviews appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Learning at Work Week is a timely reminder of the value of continuous development. But meaningful learning doesn’t always come from formal training programs or online courses. Often, it’s practical experience and conversations that lead to the most impactful professional growth.

Whether you’re early in your career or looking to move up the career ladder, here are five practical ways to enhance your development at work.

1. Shadow a Colleague in a Different Team

Gaining insight into how other teams operate can expand your understanding of the business, improve cross-functional collaboration, and potentially uncover new career interests.

Even a brief shadowing session can offer valuable perspective and sharpen your understanding of how the wider business operates. Gaining insight into another team’s priorities and challenges can directly enhance the quality and impact of your work. For example, if you work in marketing, spending time with the customer service team can reveal any recurring consumer queries. You can then tailor your messaging, content, or campaigns more effectively.

Tip: Try shadowing a role that challenges your understanding. It may highlight skills you’d like to develop or spark interest in a new direction.

2. Keep a Weekly Reflection or ‘Learning Log’

Allocating time at the end of each week to reflect on a challenge, mistake, or accomplishment can reveal patterns in how you work and think. This habit encourages accountability, builds self-awareness, and helps turn daily experiences into learning opportunities. You can use this as a checklist to avoid making the same mistake again.

Tip: At the end of each week, reflect on what went well, what could have gone better, and what you would do differently next time.

3. Identify a Process You Can Improve

An effective way to grow professionally is by re-evaluating your regular routines. Taking a step back to question existing processes, no matter how small, can reveal opportunities for greater efficiency or collaboration.

Is there a recurring team task that could be streamlined? Perhaps meeting schedules could be better coordinated, reports shared more effectively, or handovers could be clearer. Proactively identifying and refining these processes not only supports your team’s success but also demonstrates strategic thinking and initiative.

These small improvements can lead to meaningful impact, and the ability to spot them is often a strong indicator of leadership potential.

Tip: Try finding a process that helps streamline activities for your manager or team. This way, your work will be visible, so you can track its impact.

4. Help Others Learn

Helping others learn is a great way to test your understanding of a topic or skill. If a colleague approaches you or your team with a question, consider how you could use your existing skillset or conduct your own research to help fill knowledge gaps within your organization. You can share your insights by offering short, upskilling sessions for the wider company. Perhaps you have a particular skill in building your personal brand on LinkedIn which you think could benefit others across the business. Alternatively, you can offer to help train new starters as part of their onboarding process, or provide mentoring for junior staff.

Tip: This is an effective way to demonstrate your leadership skills if you’re looking to progress into a managerial role in the future.

5. Speak to a Professional You Admire

If you want to expand your knowledge proactively, try reaching out to someone whose work you genuinely admire. That could be a colleague in a different department or a professional on LinkedIn.

You might ask how they approached a recent challenge, what tools they use to stay productive, or what advice they’d offer someone looking to develop similar skills. Most professionals are more than happy to share their insights, and this kind of informal learning can build your confidence, strengthen relationships with colleagues and create new industry connections.

Tip: Try to speak to someone outside of your usual circle; this way, you’re pushing yourself to speak to people you wouldn’t usually.

Final Thoughts

Professional development isn’t confined to online courses or structured learning programs. Some of the most impactful growth happens when we proactively seek out small opportunities to learn, reflect, and engage with the broader picture of our work.

This Learning at Work Week, we encourage you to think differently about how you grow and take ownership of your development in a way that’s practical and sustainable for you. Powerful moments of growth can be sparked by curiosity, courage, and the decision to learn differently.

If you’re eager to upskill in a new role and take your next career step, submit your resume or browse jobs with Tiger today.

The post Five Meaningful Ways to Learn at Work – Without Signing up for a Course appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Whether you want to expand your responsibilities within your office assistant job, or you’re looking to progress into an executive assistant job in NYC, a promotion isn’t something that is just given out. It’s a case of preparation, planning and timing.

As New York is a city full of opportunities for great assistants, we’ve put together an infographic that explains how you can show your boss that you’re ready and able to take the next step!

Tiger Recruitment can help you land your dream personal assistant job in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or the greater NYC area. Have a look at our live job listings to start your search today!

The post Here’s how to secure your personal assistant promotion appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Businesses have long been focused on DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) efforts and, in the past few years, advances have been made to address gender, race, and ethnicity as employers strive to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce. Despite this, neurodivergent individuals have often been overlooked. And, given that 15 to 20% of the global population is neurodivergent, there is much opportunity to improve.

Below, we explore the benefits of neurodiversity at work and actionable strategies that HR professionals and management teams can implement to empower neurodivergent employees. Neurodiversity experts, Toni Horn, a neurodiversity consultant and Founder of Think Differently; and Kassandra Clemens, a transformational coach and Founder of Heal Your Confidence CIC weigh in with their thoughts.

What is neurodivergence?

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses individuals who have at least one condition that alters their cognitive function. These could include Asperger’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), epilepsy, and Tourette’s. Many of these individuals contribute effectively to the workforce, especially in businesses that offer personalized initiatives and soft benefits.

For employers seeking to accommodate neurodivergent workers, it’s important to be aware of the correct terminology and what it entails. Spring Health defines the following terms:

• Neurodivergent refers to a person or group with atypical brain functioning
• Neurotypical refers to individuals who are non-neurodivergent
• Neurodiverse is a mix of people from the two groups. Supporting a neurodiverse workforce means accommodating neurodivergent individuals

Benefits of a neurodiverse workforce

Numerous studies show that diverse businesses are more innovative and agile due, in part, to a greater variance in thinking and approaches. This can lead to disruptive breakthroughs by offsetting a tendency for companies “to all look in the same direction,” according to Harvard Business Review.

Neurodiverse individuals are often excellent problem solvers, due to their ability to think in non-typical ways and identify solutions that other employees may not find.

Toni Horn explains how “those with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might excel in pattern recognition and detail-oriented tasks, while individuals with ADHD could offer high levels of creativity and dynamism.” Kassandra Clemens adds: “they may benefit the workplace through their ability to ‘dream deeply’, demonstrating visionary abilities.”

Companies that embrace neurodiversity have reported impressive statistics. They are “45% more likely to report market share growth and 70% more likely to capture new markets,” Toni explains. Furthermore, she highlights the economic impact, stating, “in the UK, increasing employment rates for people with autism could add £23 billion annually to the economy.”

An increase in reputational value is also a considerable return for employers investing in a neurodiverse workforce. Hiren Shukla, Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence Leader at EY summarizes that “our clients want to do business with companies that do good. Candidates want to work with companies that do good.” With Gen Z and Millennial jobseekers increasingly desiring to work for organizations that are positive contributors to society, a neurodiverse hiring program can allow employers to tap into diverse talent and receive a boost in reputation.

Further, neurodivergent employees are on average more loyal, and likely to stay at a company for longer than neurotypical workers. According to JP Morgan Chase, their Autism at Work initiative discovered that neurodiverse hires were “90% to 140% more productive than employees who had been at the company for five or 10 years”. Therefore, investing in accommodating neurodivergent workers will not only provide a positive reputational boost, but can also create loyal, well-oiled teams that approach tasks in creative and dynamic ways.

Steps to create a supportive workplace culture

The bedrock of supportive workplace culture for neurodivergent workers is, as Pamela Furr notes in a Forbes article, to create “an open and safe environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up about their accommodations”. Key to this is ensuring employees are not penalized when asking for accommodations and that these conversations are kept confidential.

Leadership plays a pivotal role in fostering this environment. “Leadership from the front is crucial,” Toni emphasizes. “When company leaders openly support and advocate for neurodiversity, it sets a powerful example for the rest of the organization.” Leaders should be trained not only to understand neurodiversity but also to recognize and nurture the unique talents of neurodiverse employees. She notes that “by doing so, they demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and diversity that can inspire others within the organization”.

Businesses can consider creating their own, tailored awareness program for employees. For example, PWC implemented a neurodiversity interactive learning program for all 32,640 UK employees. It “explores the topic of neurodiversity and includes bite-sized resources, as well as stories and experiences from PWC employees.” By learning from the lived experience of employees, the program is designed to help the rest of the workforce understand neurodiversity and how they can best accommodate neurodivergent co-workers.

If an employer doesn’t have the budget for an awareness program, inviting a neurodivergent speaker to educate staff is an option. Gaining an understanding can help avoid discriminatory scenarios, as Toni recounts a neurodivergent woman whose promotion was retracted, stating, “her employer expressed concerns that she wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure, a decision based more on stereotypes than her actual abilities and performance.”

Hope Gillett, writing for PsychCentral, discusses numerous ways employers can take steps to evolve their workplace culture to be accommodating to neurodivergent employees. From offering designated quiet areas and providing headphones to “prevent distraction or overstimulation”, to including breaks in long meetings to allow employees to “re-center”, and “eliminating mandatory attendance at work social events”. Recognizing that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace culture, and adding small initiatives that appeal to neurodivergent employees may work wonders in fostering a healthy and inclusive working environment.

Inclusive hiring practices

While the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce are clear, organizations often struggle to recognize and tap into this talent pool. Toni states, “with an estimated 15-20% of the population being neurodiverse, this is a significant segment of potential talent that can contribute to various industries.” HR professionals should actively work to identify and attract neurodiverse talent, going beyond traditional recruitment channels. This can be done by engaging the local community, and partnering with groups such as “government agencies, non-profits, vocational rehab centers, educational institutions, or offices for disabilities”.

Harvard Business Review states, “the behaviors of many neurodiverse people run counter to common notions of what makes a good employee”, which often includes “solid communication skills, being a team player, emotional intelligence, persuasiveness, salesperson-type personalities, and the ability to network”. When hiring managers adhere to the above criteria, neurodivergent employees are often at a disadvantage when applying for roles. This issue is echoed by Claire Hastwell, who notes that “many superficial norms, such as a strong handshake or looking someone in the eye, are difficult for neurodiverse individuals to perform.”

Instead, Kassandra suggests employers provide full interview information in advance for neurodiverse candidates, allowing them to prepare adequately and showcase their skills effectively. Kassandra states, “reasonable adjustments benefit everyone! When a business treats diversity as a company asset, it naturally caters to the whole workforce.”

Including task-based assessments or job trials that mirror actual job responsibilities will also allow neurodiverse individuals to adequately showcase their skills.

One interview method that can help neurodivergent jobseekers feel at ease and demonstrate their potential is discussed by Robert D. Austin and Gary P. Pisano, entailing “comfortable gatherings, usually lasting half a day, in which neurodiverse job candidates can demonstrate their abilities in casual interactions with company managers.”

Employers should consider offering new recruits neurodiversity awareness training to allow them to get up to speed with inclusive practices. As part of this, Pamela Furr suggests including an “introduction to neurodiversity, explaining what it is and how it affects different people in different ways.” In addition, during onboarding, employers may wish to assign a mentor or buddy to help new employees navigate the workplace and understand company culture, which can be particularly beneficial for neurodivergent hires.

Conclusion

Empowering neurodiversity at work involves leadership by example, inclusive policies, open dialogue, and ongoing adaptation of company processes. By embracing neurodiversity, companies not only benefit neurodiverse employees but can also enrich the entire organization. Kassandra concludes, “creating a truly accessible work environment benefits employee retention, closes skills gaps, and prevents employee burnout.”

For HR professionals and organizations looking to be inclusive towards neurodiverse professionals, the key lies in a commitment to diverse hiring, educating employees on accommodations, and taking steps to nurture neurodivergent employees that allow them to perform at their best.

The post Empowering Neurodiversity at Work appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

In today’s job market, finding the best talent is proving harder than ever. Could you introduce any of these into your business?

Should you be ready to hire, Tiger can help with all your permanent and temporary hiring needs. Get in touch today!

The post The best benefits to encourage attraction and retention appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

In today’s working environment, diversity is no longer an aim – it is an expectation.

If you’re looking to hire permanent staff, establishing a diverse workforce doesn’t mean paying lip service to legislation – there is, in fact, a solid business case for increasing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Organizations that employ people from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and age groups are usually much more successful because diverse people bring with them diverse skills and ways of thinking, which can positively impact the output of any business.

Diversity monitoring* is an important means of implementing and promoting diversity within the workplace. By collecting data on who your organization employs and analyzing the results, you can address the areas of your business that you feel could benefit from greater diversity, while identifying how it has benefited you in other areas.

But creating a diverse workforce doesn’t have to be burdensome for hiring managers and the HR community. Here are some important points to consider when evaluating diversity within your workforce and how to monitor it effectively:

Create your business case

Think about how diversity can contribute towards the commercial strategy of your organization. Communicate this up to board level to ensure that its importance is understood throughout the business. With C-suite buy-in, you can help to create an environment that fully supports diverse initiatives. Starting a conversation about diversity and investment in people can also help to stimulate morale and, in turn, boost productivity among existing employees.

Monitoring forms

Collecting data from your employees, interviewed candidates, and applicants is easy with diversity monitoring forms. They can help to measure how diverse your current workforce is and allow you to make equality improvements to ensure your HR processes are fair. These forms will give you information about how good your organization is at attracting people to apply for roles from a broad spectrum of society. You must communicate exactly why you are asking for this information, how you will be using it to inform your HR procedures and how it will help to create a better workforce.

Review the data

Use the data you have gathered to help you design or amend HR policies that will attract and retain a talented workforce. By comparing and contrasting the data you gather in various parts of your organization, you’ll be able to identify where your organization could benefit from broadening the talent pool. You can also contrast these figures to the wider labor market to get an idea of whether you need to urgently address equality within your workplace – if so, it will be a useful exercise to investigate how and why this bias might have developed.

Take action

If your workplace isn’t hitting its diversity targets, you might need to consider altering the way you approach the recruitment process. Perhaps you need to reconsider the way you write job descriptions or even the recruitment companies you use to help you hire the right candidates. You could consider a collaborative approach to recruitment, which will provide a broad pool of candidates from social networks, traditional jobs boards and recruiters, and help you to select the right individual with input from colleagues throughout the business.

If you’d like help to broaden your talent pool and search for candidates, our HR recruitment agency is ready to help!

*http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4071

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Whether you’re hiring an executive assistant or HR staff, there are many different types of interviews you will encounter – panel, face-to-face, video, competency, technical,… the list goes on! Each of these has its time and place depending on a variety of factors. Similarly, there are situations where conducting a phone interview is definitely the best approach to take. This is likely to be in the beginning stages of the interview process, where employers are looking to screen a larger number of candidates by asking them a few key questions.

If you choose to start the process with a phone interview, it’s essential to prepare in order to get the best out of the experience. Find our telephone interview tips below!

How to conduct a telephone interview

Consider this a ‘pre-interview’ screening call

Instead of thinking of this call as an interview, consider it as part of the screening/’pre-interview’ process. This will allow you to focus on a few important questions without trying to cover too much information all at once. Choose your questions carefully, as the answers you’re given should be able to dictate whether or not you continue with the interview process.

Focus your questions

If you’re not sure what questions to ask in a phone interview, the key is to prepare no more than five, focused questions which hone in on technical skills and experience. By asking a candidate these questions, you’re able to learn quickly and efficiently whether they’re qualified for the role. As a screening call is one-dimensional, you’ll find yourself concentrating on how the interviewee answers questions much more than you might in a face-to-face meeting. For example, are they answering in a concise, confident way? Are they giving good examples?

At the end of the day, your gut feeling about the way the conversation flowed and their manner of communication will be a good indicator as to whether you’d like them to continue with the process.

It’s not all about their answers

While their answers to your questions are important, make sure to look at the experience as a whole. If you called the candidate at a scheduled time and they didn’t answer the phone (or they were late calling you), they may have an issue with time management or prioritization. During the call, how was their phone manner? Were they enthusiastic to be talking to you, or did they seem distracted or bored? The answers to these questions may give you an indication of their interest and dedication to the process.

Keep your options open

At the end of your call, there is no need to commit yourself to continuing with the interview process. Instead, thank them for their time and let them know when you’re expecting to be in touch. Once you’ve put the phone down, take the time to think about how the interview went and how it compares to the other calls you’re making. Remember, if you’re unsure, you can always ask them to continue the process just to see how they perform in another environment. It’s better to do this than lose your chance with a dream candidate!

On the hunt for new permanent or temporary staff? The Tiger team can help organize telephone interviews as a pre-screening initiative. Get in touch today. If you’re looking to find out more about hiring, our complete guide to help you in selecting the best candidate will help!

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The world of Human Resources (HR) is rapidly evolving, and at the forefront of this transformation are two game-changing technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. As we venture deeper into the digital age, HR professionals and hiring managers find themselves on the cusp of a revolution that promises to improve processes, elevate candidate experiences, and unlock the full potential of their workforce.

In this article, we’ll explore the insights of two HR experts, Lorenzo Chiozzi, HR Director at Hikvision UK & Ireland, and Tess Hilson-Greener, CEO of AI Capability Ltd, as they share their experiences and visions for the integration of AI and automation in HR. Alongside this, the article looks at the wider HR function and how areas like talent management, administration and onboarding can be developed and improved by HR teams that are willing to embrace AI and automation.

Enhancing HR Processes through AI

OpenAI, the creators of Chat GPT, published a research paper estimating that “80 percent of jobs can incorporate generative AI technology”. In HR, there is great potential for companies to incorporate AI into performance reviews, talent acquisition, evaluating large pools of candidates, administrative tasks, and other repetitive and data-driven functions. A leading thinker of AI shares this view in HR, Josh Bersin, who remarks that much of the data taken by HR is numerically focused, involving surveys, feedback forms, and data” which is then correlated with “business results against various people metrics”. This data-driven approach to HR is one that AI and automation can support, from developing best-practice employee engagement surveys to evaluating large numbers of resumes against the job requirements and a profile of a desired candidate.

In simple terms, AI frees up HR teams to complete business-critical projects by automating administrative tasks. Lorenzo Chiozzi explains, “In recruitment, you can use predictive analysis, interview scheduling, chatbots and candidate sourcing to boost productivity. Reporting has changed with predictive reporting and automated report generation.” These AI-powered applications allow HR teams to work more efficiently, saving valuable time and resources.

Tess Hilson-Greener agrees, emphasizing the diverse applications of AI and automation in HR. “These include talent acquisition and recruitment, employee engagement and performance management, workforce planning and analytics, learning and development, and HR operations and administration”. This showcases the wide range of opportunities that AI presents to HR teams, enabling them to strengthen various aspects of talent management.

Delving deeper, Workable mentions that AI can also help businesses “anticipate and plan for outcomes using predictive analytics and machine learning.” This can be especially useful for small businesses without the resources or expertise to map out detailed HR strategies. Utilizing AI can help HR teams understand best practices and case studies that AI can digest and provide actionable ideas tailored to individual organizations.

Enhancing HR Operations and Administration

AI and automation have instigated a fundamental shift for HR operations and administration, significantly reducing administrative burdens and freeing up valuable time. Lorenzo shares, “I use AI daily in some HR processes, recruitment, and in a variety of different contexts.” Tools like automated applicant tracking systems, chatbots, and virtual assistants streamline candidate interactions and deliver seamless experiences throughout the hiring process.

For those new to AI, Tess recommends starting with “policy management and reporting” and to “use Chat GPT and other AI video/voice solutions.” AI-powered chatbots can answer employees’ frequently asked questions and provide prompt assistance, enhancing employee self-service options and fostering a more efficient HR service delivery.

The efficiency of operational tasks can be improved by using AI, which can help with speeding up the onboarding and acclimatization process for new employees. An article by Oracle, referencing data compiled from 34,000 exit interviews, notes that “40% of new employees quit within the first year of being hired”. While employees choose to leave their jobs for a multitude of reasons, delays and inefficiencies in the onboarding process can lead to employees feeling overwhelmed at work, unsuited to the role, or struggling to adapt to the company’s culture or way of working.

Utilizing AI allows the onboarding process to support employees 24/7.

It can also ease the time-consuming administrative tasks involved. Furthermore, Oracle state that AI can “equip an employee with intelligent suggestions for courses or reading that will aid in day-to-day job duties”, which highlights the value that AI and automation can provide in career development too.

Mitigating Risks and Embracing Opportunities

Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index Annual Report sheds light on employee attitudes towards AI. Whilst 49% of respondents noted that they have concerns about AI replacing their jobs, 70% would be in favor of delegating as much work as possible to AI. HR teams can leverage this curiosity and act as the champions of AI and automation, to upskill employees in its wide-ranging uses.

This view is echoed by Gosia Adamczyk, speaking to HR Magazine, who suggests that HR teams should build confidence, “starting with the acceptance that these tools are here to stay”. Companies and HR teams can jump on the AI revolution and develop programs and initiatives aimed at allowing employees to harness the potential of AI in their work rather than allowing them to see it as a threat.

These initiatives still need to be developed with a degree of caution, and it’s important to remember that with any technological advancement, AI comes with risks and challenges. “It can be very dangerous if the model is trusted, as it can generate manipulation or systematic biases,” cautions Lorenzo. HR teams must ensure transparency, fairness and oversight when using AI algorithms to avoid unintended consequences. Tess adds, “To mitigate risks, organizations should ensure transparency and fairness in AI algorithms, regularly monitor and validate AI outputs, and have appropriate safeguards for data privacy and security.” Embracing opportunities with AI, while being aware of its limitations and risks, is essential to maximizing its use within HR.

Ethical Concerns and DEI

As AI and automation continue to play a more significant role in HR, addressing ethical concerns becomes crucial. Tess reminds HR professionals that, “Human oversight and review are important to catch and correct any potential biases or errors.” Ensuring AI algorithms are transparent, fair, and free from bias is paramount in upholding fairness and equality in HR practices.

Incorporating AI into DEI plans ensures that AI-driven decisions align with organizational values and promote a diverse and inclusive workplace.

By investing in AI-qualified consultants and experts, HR teams can mitigate risks and maximize the value of AI and automation in driving positive outcomes for both employees and the company.

Supporting this, Sameer Maskey remarks in a Forbes article that “AI-powered internal survey assessment tools can help HR teams conduct sentiment analysis and deploy data-driven organization initiatives that focus on employee morale and things today’s workforce considers a priority, such as diversity and sustainability.”

There’s no doubt that AI offers an important, unbiased tool for HR and talent acquisition teams in assessing employee morale and diversity within a company. And for hiring, AI can assess a wide pool of candidates without unconscious bias, not to mention provide a fresh perspective on ideas for employee engagement, for businesses that are ‘set in their ways’.

The Human Touch in HR

While AI improves efficiency, it cannot replace human empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. As Tess explains, “Balancing automation with human interaction and personalized experiences is crucial.” Lorenzo emphasizes the importance of strategic implementation, saying, “AI should be implemented strategically, always considering the human factor. AI can make happen what has always been missing in people management – the ability to read information and analytics in a holistic and meaningful way.”

Josh Bersin remarks that AI can pull together data that can be used to make better hiring decisions and likewise decide “who to promote, who to demote, and who should make it to the very top ranks of the company”. Regarding the internal movement of employees, it’s important not to rely completely on AI to make the decisions but to use human intuition and the insight of managers working with employees to ensure that balanced decisions can be made regarding an employee’s potential, suitability for a promotion, and other factors.

Likewise, AI is not yet advanced enough to accurately grasp the values, feel or culture of a company, and HR teams are best placed to decide whether benefits or initiatives are working well, rather than simply relying on data and figures to cast judgment. Small initiatives can have a large impact on employee engagement and morale, and soft benefits can be crucial in retaining and attracting talent that might be overlooked in a hiring strategy based on ‘hard data’.

The Future of HR

Both experts agree that the progression of AI and automation will have a significant impact on the future of HR. Tess predicts that “There will be new professions, and organizations that manage to crack the AI code for a practical and useful HR approach will prevail.”

The seamless integration of AI and automation will empower HR teams to make data-driven decisions, optimize talent management, and drive employee performance, ultimately ushering in a new era of HR excellence.

As generative AI develops further and becomes widespread in the workforce, new regulations will be developed to ensure that it is safe and beneficial to society. There will be plenty of firsts when it comes to AI, and Jack Aldane, writing for Global Government Forum, mentions that Romania recently “unveiled the world’s first AI government adviser.” The working world will be molded in the coming years to incorporate AI, and HR teams will be at the forefront of harnessing its capabilities while upskilling workers to utilize it fluidly, thereby firmly positioning it as an ally rather than a threat to job security.

Conclusion: A Journey of Progress

AI and automation have transformed the landscape of HR, promising to revolutionize talent acquisition, employee development, workforce planning and HR operations.

As HR professionals and hiring managers navigate this transformative journey, they must strike a balance between leveraging AI’s capabilities and preserving the human touch.

Embracing AI strategically, with a keen eye on ethics, transparency and fairness, HR professionals can unlock the true potential of their workforce and create a thriving, future-proof organization.

As businesses embrace the power of AI and automation, HR’s role will evolve into a pivotal one, overseeing the co-existence of human expertise and machine intelligence in companies. Navigating this path with foresight will pave the way for HR to emerge as a strategic driver of business success, steering businesses towards a future of limitless possibilities. The journey towards HR’s AI-powered future has only just begun, and the possibilities are as exciting as they are limitless.

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Businesses have long been focused on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts and in the past few years, advances have been made to address gender, race, and ethnicity as employers strive to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce. Despite this, neurodivergent individuals have often been overlooked. And, given that 15 to 20% of the global population is neurodivergent, there is much opportunity to improve.

Below, we explore the benefits of neurodiversity at work, and actionable strategies that HR professionals and management teams can implement to empower neurodivergent employees. Neurodiversity experts, Toni Horn, a neurodiversity consultant and Founder of Think Differently; and Kassandra Clemens, a transformational coach and Founder of Heal Your Confidence CIC weigh in with their thoughts.

What is neurodivergence?

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses individuals who have at least one condition that alters their cognitive function. These could include Asperger’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), epilepsy, and Tourette’s. Many of these individuals contribute effectively to the workforce, especially in businesses that offer personalized initiatives and soft benefits.

For employers seeking to accommodate neurodivergent workers, it’s important to be aware of the correct terminology and what it entails. Spring Health defines the following terms:

• Neurodivergent refers to a person or group with atypical brain functioning
• Neurotypical refers to individuals who are non-neurodivergent
• Neurodiverse is a mix of people from the two groups. Supporting a neurodiverse workforce means accommodating neurodivergent individuals

Benefits of a neurodiverse workforce

Numerous studies show that diverse businesses are more innovative and agile due, in part, to a greater variance in thinking and approaches. This can lead to disruptive breakthroughs by offsetting a tendency for companies “to all look in the same direction,” according to the Harvard Business Review.

Neurodiverse individuals are often excellent problem solvers, due to their ability to think in non-typical ways and identify solutions that other employees may not find.

Toni Horn explains how “those with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might excel in pattern recognition and detail-oriented tasks, while individuals with ADHD could offer high levels of creativity and dynamism.” Kassandra Clemens adds: “They may benefit the workplace through their ability to ‘dream deeply’, demonstrating visionary abilities.”

Companies that embrace neurodiversity have reported impressive statistics. They are “45% more likely to report market share growth and 70% more likely to capture new markets,” Toni explains. Furthermore, she highlights the economic impact, stating, “in the UK, increasing employment rates for people with autism could add £23 billion annually to the economy.”

An increase in reputational value is also a considerable return for employers investing in a neurodiverse workforce. Hiren Shukla, Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence Leader at EY summarizes that, “our clients want to do business with companies that do good. Candidates want to work with companies that do good.” With Gen Z and Millennial jobseekers increasingly desiring to work for organizations that are positive contributors to society, a neurodiverse hiring program can allow employers to tap into diverse talent and receive a boost in reputation.

Further, neurodivergent employees are on average more loyal, and likely to stay at a company for longer than neurotypical workers. According to JP Morgan Chase, their Autism at Work initiative discovered that neurodiverse hires were “90% to 140% more productive than employees who had been at the company for five or 10 years”. Therefore, investing in accommodating neurodivergent workers will not only provide a positive reputational boost, but it can also create loyal, well-oiled teams that approach tasks in creative and dynamic ways.

Steps to create a supportive workplace culture

The bedrock of supportive workplace culture for neurodivergent workers is, as Pamela Furr notes in a Forbes article, to create “an open and safe environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up about their accommodations”. Key to this is ensuring employees are not penalized when asking for accommodations and that these conversations are kept confidential.

Leadership plays a pivotal role in fostering this environment. “Leadership from the front is crucial,” Toni emphasizes. “When company leaders openly support and advocate for neurodiversity, it sets a powerful example for the rest of the organization.” Leaders should be trained not only to understand neurodiversity but also to recognize and nurture the unique talents of neurodiverse employees. She notes that “by doing so, they demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and diversity that can inspire others within the organization”.

Businesses can consider creating their own tailored awareness programs for employees. For example, PWC implemented a neurodiversity interactive learning program for all 32,640 UK employees. It “explores the topic of neurodiversity and includes bite-sized resources, as well as stories and experiences from PWC employees.” By learning from the lived experiences of employees, the program is designed to help the rest of the workforce understand neurodiversity and how they can best accommodate neurodivergent coworkers.

If an employer doesn’t have the budget for an awareness program, inviting a neurodivergent speaker to educate staff is an option. Gaining an understanding can help avoid discriminatory scenarios, as Toni recounts a neurodivergent woman whose promotion was retracted, stating, “her employer expressed concerns that she wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure, a decision based more on stereotypes than her actual abilities and performance.”

Hope Gillett, writing for PsychCentral, discusses numerous ways employers can take steps to evolve their workplace culture to be accommodating to neurodivergent employees. From offering designated quiet areas and providing headphones to “prevent distraction or overstimulation”, to including breaks in long meetings to allow employees to “re-center” and “eliminating mandatory attendance at work social events”. Recognizing that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace culture and adding small initiatives that appeal to neurodivergent employees may work wonders in fostering a healthy and inclusive working environment.

Inclusive hiring practices

While the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce are clear, organizations often struggle to recognize and tap into this talent pool. Toni states, “With an estimated 15-20% of the population being neurodiverse, this is a significant segment of potential talent that can contribute to various industries.” HR professionals should actively work to identify and attract neurodiverse talent, going beyond traditional recruitment channels. This can be done by engaging the local community, and partnering with groups such as “government agencies, non-profits, vocational rehab centers, educational institutions, or offices for disabilities”.

Harvard Business Review states, “the behaviors of many neurodiverse people run counter to common notions of what makes a good employee”, which often includes “solid communication skills, being a team player, emotional intelligence, persuasiveness, salesperson-type personalities, and the ability to network”. When hiring managers adhere to the above criteria, neurodivergent employees are often at a disadvantage when applying for roles. This issue is echoed by Claire Hastwell, who notes that “many superficial norms, such as a strong handshake or looking someone in the eye, are difficult for neurodiverse individuals to perform.”

Instead, Kassandra suggests employers provide full interview information in advance for neurodiverse candidates, allowing them to prepare adequately and showcase their skills effectively. Kassandra states, “Reasonable adjustments benefit everyone! When a business treats diversity as a company asset, it naturally caters to the whole workforce.”

Including task-based assessments or job trials that mirror actual job responsibilities will also allow neurodiverse individuals to adequately showcase their skills.

One interview method that can help neurodivergent jobseekers feel at ease and demonstrate their potential is discussed by Robert D. Austin and Gary P. Pisano, entailing “comfortable gatherings, usually lasting half a day, in which neurodiverse job candidates can demonstrate their abilities in casual interactions with company managers.”

Employers should consider offering new recruits neurodiversity awareness training to allow them to get up to speed with inclusive practices. As part of this, Pamela Furr suggests including an “introduction to neurodiversity, explaining what it is and how it affects different people in different ways.” In addition, during onboarding, employers may wish to assign a mentor or buddy to help new employees navigate the workplace and understand company culture, which can be particularly beneficial for neurodivergent hires. If you’re unsure where to begin, becoming familiar with these DEI recruitment guidelines is a good starting point for employers.

Conclusion

Empowering neurodiversity at work involves leadership by example, inclusive policies, open dialog, and ongoing adaptation of company processes. By embracing neurodiversity, companies not only benefit neurodiverse employees but can also enrich the entire organization. Kassandra concludes, “Creating a truly accessible work environment benefits employee retention, closes skills gaps, and prevents employee burnout.”

For HR professionals and organizations looking to be inclusive towards neurodiverse professionals, the key lies in a commitment to diverse hiring, educating employees on accommodations, and taking steps to nurture neurodivergent employees that allow them to perform at their best.

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Table of Contents

• A seismic shift
• The future is now: AI in HR
• Knowledge management and chatbots
• AI’s role in recruitment
• Improved onboarding and retention
• Data management and privacy concerns
• Leadership development with generative AI
• Tools and technologies in HR
• Future Trends

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Table Of Contents

• Introduction
• Money Talks
• Development and Training
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Flexible Working
• Employee Wellbeing
• Relationships At Work
• Summary

Introduction

At the close of 2022, Tiger HR hosted a roundtable event, bringing together a select group of HR leaders across a range of industries. The discussion focused on their experiences of employee retention and acquisition.

There are plenty of reasons why staff leave their jobs — from low salary, poor management and lack of flexible working through to a long commute. According to Forbes, however, the most common reason an employee leaves is because of a toxic company culture, which ranks number one for 62% of jobseekers. With this in mind, the ever-evolving challenges that HR leaders face are far from simple.

Throw in the cost-of-living crisis, and employers now face even more pressure to improve working conditions for their employees. With junior jobseekers and graduates receiving lower salaries, compared to the average UK business support salary at £40,656, graduate retention and attraction came up time and time again as a key concern among our HR leaders. Is it possible to attract entry-level staff without offering the same attractive salary that might be offered to those with more experience?

In 2022, workplace trends like the Great Resignation and quiet quitting exploded, prompting many to reconsider their retention strategies. From boosting salaries to protecting employee wellbeing, read on to discover what our HR Leaders will be investing in over the next 12 months.

Money Talks

Our latest Salary and Benefits Review revealed that 51% of UK office workers received a pay rise in the last 12 months — almost twice as many as 2021 (28%). While that might not present too much of a shock, given the current cost-of-living challenges the UK is facing, what may surprise employers is that many employees are prepared to receive less money overall (inclusive of salary, benefits, bonuses), in return for an increased base level of pay.

As bonuses are usually positioned as a job performance incentive, some employees aren’t confident that their performance will be accurately evaluated. Those in roles without commission also have less faith in the bonus system, as the value that they bring to a role has more vague indicators of performance. According to Employer News, 83% of HR professionals believe that compensation should be linked to performance. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that new employees who are yet to ‘prove themselves’ have concerns about the effectiveness of bonuses.

Some employers are experiencing an increase in requests for salary rises from junior candidates, due to a generational trend of open discussion about salary ranges. With 64% of UK-based employees wanting greater transparency from their employers about pay practices and over half of employees across the US wanting to know what everyone at their organization is paid, it’s clear that the push for more open communication is strengthening.

What employers are finding difficult, however, is not the request for transparency but the lack of variable allowance across different industries, roles, types of pay, and experience. If these factors are omitted, the reality of an individual’s desired pay may fall short of their expectations.

At our roundtable, employers spoke openly about graduate salaries, with most — in light of the cost of living — agreeing there is a growing pressure to increase them. Many have altered their graduate bonus and salary structure, to accommodate for higher salaries with lower bonuses.

Employers mentioned that they were getting to the stage where the grads that they hired five years ago were starting to think about buying a home. But with the cost to buy being so expensive, these employees were looking to move further out. One employer expressed how disruptive this was for the business and that they were planning financial support options for employees looking to buy their first home, to retain talent effectively.

Key actions

• Consider offering financial support to long-term employees looking to buy their first home. This will help to retain staff who are debating whether to relocate.
• If the budget doesn’t allow for an increase in the overall employment package, increase the base pay and reduce bonus.
• Only consider pay transparency or banding if you can accommodate variations across experience, sector and role type.

Development and Training

Career development remains a leading factor in employee retention. In our Salary and Benefits review, over 40% of jobseekers reported that career development was a priority in their next job. Around the table, HR leaders made it clear that their retention efforts were focused on strong employee development structures, regardless of role or industry.

Some shared how they had realigned their career development framework to prioritize visibility in their structure. In doing this, they found employee feedback overwhelmingly positive as a result of all staff being able to map out a clear path of personal progression.

Some HR leaders said that they were trying to improve the level of training offered to roles that traditionally lacked in this area. For example, one company was in the process of launching a new training program with the Institute of Executive Assistants and Administrators. This employer also planned to implement a top-to-bottom training plan, allowing for a diverse group of employees with varying experience to capitalize on peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, thereby encouraging transparency at the same time.

Training, as part of graduate apprenticeships, is a key focus for 2023. Many are evaluating these, with the majority seeing apprentices working weekends and unusual working hours due to off-the-job training requirements. Following a full day of learning and working, many employers received negative feedback from their grads and a contributing factor to feeling burnt out.

The training and development piece for grads is a key focus for employers, with most leaders at the roundtable saying that they find graduate employees the hardest to retain. In the Wiley Edge 2021 report on graduate retention, 16% of employers surveyed found that a staggering 51% – 100% of their graduate employees typically leave the business within 24 months. A further 38% found that between 21% and 50% leave within two years. With this in mind, HR leaders at the roundtable were either thinking of scrapping apprenticeships completely, or had done so already.

KEY ACTIONS

Retention efforts should be focused on strong employee development structures, regardless of role or industry

Prioritize visibility in the career development framework, so staff can take greater ownership of their personal progression within the business

Extra hours and “tick-box” exercises enforced in certain graduate apprenticeships are proving to have a negative impact on graduate retention. Companies should consider assessing these schemes, by requesting feedback from their graduates

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Diverse workplaces make better decisions 87% of the time. Research has also shown that diverse staff are more innovative, creative, and faster problem-solvers.

The push for a more diverse workplace is still front-of-mind for many employers. HR leaders at our event declared that their diversity and inclusion had improved across the board and that they are still reporting rising numbers in their data.

Several employers have made significant progress as a result of establishing ED&I committees, with one claiming they were inundated with applications for the committee elections. Another stated that increased maternity and paternity payments have been a great success in regards to a more inclusive work environment. With new strategies in place, employers also have more accessible data on ED&I, which has been pivotal in their plans to make further changes.

One leader said that by requesting ongoing feedback on their ED&I initiatives, they are able to ensure that new strategies are well received, and gain greater insight into the thoughts of a wide range of employees.

Although progress is being made, equity, diversity and inclusion remain an area that still needs sustained and continued attention. The majority of employers agree that moving forward, actively hiring a more diverse workforce is essential in striving for equality.

It’s still as important as ever for employers to be part of the change, and at Tiger we will continue to champion the efforts made for progress. If you are looking to improve your ED&I, here are a few tips on how to do so.

Education

• Education can be in the form of training, discussions, and open communication. A good place to start is by creating an ED&I guide for staff.
• Learn from previous mistakes; educate yourself and your employees on what can be improved.
• Lead by example as an employer; pass on the importance and benefits of inclusion in the workplace.

Reach wider audiences

• When writing job openings, descriptions should be catered to reach broader audiences. These jobs should also be sent to a wider net of platforms and outreach programs.
• Advertise your company values on ED&I. Most companies forget to celebrate their workplace culture in their job listings, website, and media channels, but this should be a very visible part of your employer brand.

Communication

• Inclusive language is very important and a powerful tool for managers to open up internal communication.
• To make sure you are using inclusive language, avoid biases, slang, and expressions that discriminate against groups of people.
• By asking your diverse workforce for feedback you will ensure transparency as well as ownership of your actions.

Offer meaningful opportunities

• Take an individualistic approach to career development by nurturing talent and asking people what they want. Offer equal opportunities and be inclusive of all diversity groups.
• Set measurable goals, whether it be through quotas or feedback. Use this data to help direct progress in the right areas.

Foster at all levels

• From the management level down to graduates, diversity should be a consideration when hiring for any position.
• Whether via blind CV, skills testing or widening your candidate pool, make a commitment to remove biases from the recruitment process.

Offer better workplace flexibility and policies

• Allow employees to take time off for religious holidays that may not be officially observed by the company.
• Be flexible with RTW parents and offer competitive parental leave.
• Ensure your office is well-equipped with inclusive facilities, including wheelchair access and non-gendered bathrooms.
• Offer the option for flexible working hours.

KEY ACTIONS

• Actively align the recruitment process into DE&I initiatives, involving key stakeholders and training managers where needed.
• Review existing policies to make sure they’re inclusive. Installing an ED&I committee in the workplace can support internal change.
• Even with improved ED&I data in 2023, more still needs to be done, as equality figures remain unbalanced across the board. Hold those in management accountable to change.

Flexible working

In the second half of this year, we saw a wave of employers insisting on workers returning to the office full time and, as a response, many employees started to look elsewhere. While most people enjoyed the flexibility of WFH and found greater productivity, some employers were not convinced. According to a BBC report, 87% of workers believe they’re performing just fine, while only 12% of employers say they have full confidence their team is productive.

Many of the HR leaders that we spoke to said that, post-pandemic, they had asked workers to come in three days a week, but received a lot of pushback. People couldn’t benefit from the savings of a five-day season ticket, and, as a result, some employees were asking companies to expense the difference. Under the assumption that remote working was a permanent fixture, some staff relocated further away from their offices during lockdown and were more resistant to coming in for three days.

Since then, most employers have decided to judge flexible working on a team-by-team basis. Certain businesses have found this altered approach to be a popular strategy, as there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. As for travel expenses, the HR leaders we spoke to were unanimously opposed to reimbursing these costs.

However, the rise in cost of living has shed light on the pressures for employers to help out with rising energy prices. As remote working has become less affordable, some employees have campaigned for businesses to reimburse their energy usage whilst they’re working from home.

Uswitch estimates that full-time home workers increase their daily gas use by 75%, while electricity use is predicted to rise by 25%.

If an employee is seeking financial support, employers agreed that encouraging them to return to the office would help with the reduction of home energy usage. Collectively, our HR leaders agreed that they would rather increase salary then recoup energy bills.

Being inclusive of new starters has continued to be a struggle in the remote landscape. Some employers have emphasized the importance of new employees being in the office in the first few months of their role, even if their role is fully remote. By having direct access to their superiors, some employers have noticed that learning has been faster, and new starters have built better relationships within their teams.

That said, some employers felt that we should perhaps be embracing the new way of working to be more accommodating to the younger generations, by finding better solutions in the remote world. One HR leader expressed that it’s just a matter of showing them the right tools and changing the mentality of how leaders can knowledge-share. By adapting how we mentor, we can provide learning and development opportunities without forcing them back
into the office.

While hybrid working has its benefits, employers have noticed a greater risk of burnout in those that work exclusively remotely. Some have said that remote workers are more likely to work longer hours to try to keep up with the workload. Given these circumstances, employers have encouraged these members of staff to attend the office more. In doing so, they’ve resolved workload anxiety organically by collaboratively sharing the load without the fear of bothering colleagues over the phone.

At our roundtable, the concluded outlook on flexible working was that flexibility goes both ways. On the whole, employers were more open to offer flexibility to those employees who showed willing and, in return, met the needs of the company.

• Recent evidence suggests that companies with a 90% remote workforce reported being just as happy with manager-employee face time as those with a 10% remote workforce. Of those with face-time concerns, engagement and culture – not productivity – emerged as the primary challenge.
• 1.8% According to the ONS labor productivity report, output per hour worked was 1.8% higher in Quarter 2 (Apr
  to June) 2022 than the average level in 2019, pre-pandemic.

KEY ACTIONS

• Employers should stand by employee flexible working, as productivity remains higher compared to those working in the office full time.
• There’s no one-size-fits-all to hybrid working. Flexibility should be judged on a team-by-team basis, allowing managers to decide what works best for their teams.
• If employees are looking for help with their energy usage and/or travel expenses, consider implementing a designated cost-of-living bonus rather than a reimbursement.

Employee Wellbeing

More than 50% of employees want employers to do more to support their mental wellbeing, and feel that workplace stress and anxiety can result in increased absence and dissatisfaction with their job. With this in mind, employee wellbeing has been in the spotlight. By implementing workplace support, employers have noticed a positive shift in office morale as well as sustained productivity. Some have been actioning an individualized approach, whereby one-to-one coaching and therapy sessions are offered to help employees build coping mechanisms when confronted with anxiety and stress.

The wellbeing of newer members of staff is of particular importance, especially those with limited work experience, as they’re less likely to ask for help when their workload becomes overwhelming. Many employers believe this is partly because new starters don’t feel completely comfortable yet within their team relationships, which could be hindered by the lack of social exchanges in remote working.

Successfully onboarding a new employee into the workplace is all about trying to provide opportunities for the new employees to build key relationships and make new connections, whether they are working from the office or from home.

Small interactions can make all the difference when integrating new starters into the workplace. Many employers have encouraged their senior management to take the initiative and the time to introduce themselves to new starters whenever they catch them in the office. Saying hello by the coffee machine or sparking conversation in the communal areas of the office are all simple but effective ways of making a less intimidating work environment.

Relationships at work

According to m3, half of people stated that company culture is the most important factor when deciding whether to accept a new role, while 41% said that culture is one of their main considerations. This suggests that publicizing and promoting the company culture should form a key part of the recruitment process, yet businesses are failing to effectively capitalize on this opportunity. Disappointingly, one in 10 businesses do not promote their company culture to potential new employees at all.

While flexible working remains highly sought after, the office social life has become tumbleweed to some. In the hybrid world of working, Friday has become a popular WFH day for many employees — a world away from pre-pandemic Friday evenings when co-workers would gather and go for drinks.

The HR community has had their fair share of challenges in reintroducing a post-pandemic social life to the workplace — with one notable issue being the increased popularity of sobriety. In fact, 26% of 16–24-year-olds are not interested in drinking alcohol at all. Our HR leaders recommended social activities such as sporting events, bowling and even candle-making workshops, with the most creative approaches being the most well-received among staff.

KEY ACTIONS

• HR leaders are planning more inclusive work events that cater for sober employees.
• With Friday evening socials off the table, employees are enjoying more activity-based social activities.

Summary

In 2022, we witnessed trends like the Great Resignation and quiet quitting, which formed the basis of recurrent recruitment and retention difficulties. In response, we have also seen employers prioritizing the upskilling of their existing staff to compensate for hard-to-fill roles. If you’re doing this, we encourage you to put in place a clear career development
plan. This allows staff to progress in new areas of the company or role, motivated by a supportive structure and the promised rewards of expanding their skillset.

In 2023, we expect to see the ratio of job vacancies to candidates to be more equally matched, ahead of the Great Rebalance. The January “big move”, where employees leave positions in the new year after bonuses are paid, is a trend that we see repeated year upon year. With this in mind, we advise employers to recognize the employees that have gone the extra mile in their EOY appraisals and to consider offering competitive salaries and career development training for the new year.

At Tiger, we expect to see flexible working as a continued attraction to jobseekers in 2023, and we encourage employers to offer hybrid working as part of their employment package. Like many of the employers at the roundtable, we suggest judging flexible working on a team-by-team basis, to better meet the needs of the employees and company.

At our roundtable, job perks were a discussion highlight in the context of 2023 retention strategies, and we were pleasantly surprised to hear about some of the innovative ways companies were prioritizing employee wellbeing. Organized activities such as massages and mindfulness lessons were most popular among staff, with the consensus being that these directly impacted improved morale and positivity.

Free office lunches were also suggested as an easy win. Employers noticed an increase in office attendance when they provided food and plan to continue organizing free meals as part of making a small difference with the cost of living. One HR leader also mentioned that this was a great way for new starters to socialize with other staff, as they found attendance was up and everyone took some time to chat whilst on lunch.

As many as two-thirds (67%) of employees who have free food at work class themselves as “extremely happy” or “very happy”.

Some HR leaders are also finding value in employee apps that provide financial advice, mindfulness techniques, yoga, etc., which employees can access at any given time. Some of these include Welbot, Headspace for Work and Ben. Private financial planning was another retention strategy that some employers were looking to help their employees with in 2023.

KEY ACTIONS

• Ahead of the January big move, recognize the employees that have gone the extra mile in their EOY appraisals, and consider offering competitive salaries and career development training for the new year.
• The key to retention in 2023 is securing a strong benefits package. Where relevant, this should also be updated to suit the hybrid working model.
• Employee wellbeing is in the spotlight for 2023. HR leaders are trying to incorporate mindfulness into the workplace, as well as perks that make employees feel valued.

The post Retention and Acquisition Trends 2023 appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Welcome to From the Tiger’s Mouth! Tiger Recruitment’s podcast series is the number one place for workplace insights, thought leadership and topical issues across the global job market. In each episode, we’ll be inviting an expert guest to share their thoughts and advice within their professional field. Whether you’re looking to reinvent the way you run your business or to hear new opinions and ideas on the state of the market, we’ve got you covered! So, if that sounds like your kind of thing, stay tuned!

Listen to previous episodes on Apple and Spotify.

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Creating Impactful Charity-Corporate Partnerships

In this episode, we spoke to Brendan McGowan, a Senior Consultant at NPC, with 20 years of experience working with the charity sector.

Our host Jess Umasuthan, Senior Consultant and Charity Ambassador at Tiger Recruitment, asks Brendan to share his tips for establishing meaningful corporate charity partnerships and effectively measuring your impact. If you’re looking to improve your charity partnership for both social impact and internal benefits, our latest podcast episode is your go-to resource.

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Maximizing Executive Efficiency – The Evolving Role of Administrative Assistants

Managing Director Rebecca Siciliano speaks to Lucy Brazier OBE, CEO of Marcham Publishing and leading authority on the administrative profession. From PAs to EAs, Rebecca and Lucy explore all the latest trends in administration.

This episode shares frameworks to upskill assistants, opportunities to embrace AI, top tips on delegation, and more.

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Strategies For Aspiring Female Leaders

Happy International Women’s Day! In this empowering podcast episode, we dive into the world of leadership with a focus on strategies tailored for aspiring female leaders. Join us as we bring together a panel of accomplished professionals from Tiger Recruitment, each with a unique perspective on climbing the career ladder, overcoming challenges, and thriving in leadership roles.

Our esteemed host, Katie Hawksley-Blackburn, a senior recruitment consultant at Tiger Recruitment, leads an insightful conversation with a dynamic lineup of guests. From the Managing Director, Rebecca Siciliano, to the Director of the London City office, Angela Lopes, and the Head of the MENA region, Zahra Clark, to the Head of Zurich, Jane Leese, our panel represents a diverse range of leadership experiences and backgrounds.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips on navigating the corporate landscape as a female leader. Our guests share their personal journeys, discussing the obstacles they faced and the strategies they employed to succeed. Whether you’re just starting your leadership journey or looking for ways to advance your career, this episode provides a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

Discover how to build resilience, cultivate a supportive network, and leverage your unique strengths as a female leader.  This International Women’s Day, empower yourself with the tools and strategies needed to not only survive but thrive in leadership.

Join us for an engaging and uplifting conversation that celebrates the achievements of women in leadership, while providing actionable advice for those aspiring to make their mark. Don’t miss this special episode!

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Empowering Neurodiversity at Work

HR Consultant, Jamie Power, interviews Dr Samantha Hiew, award-winning professional speaker and Founder of ADHD Girls, which she founded after receiving an ADHD diagnosis at the age of 40.

With neurodivergent individuals making up 15-20% of the global population, this episode addresses steps for businesses to empower neurodivergent workers and reap the rewards of a diverse workforce.

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Bringing Games Into Your HR Strategy

HR Consultant Jamie Power and Andy Yeoman, Strategic Developer at Totem Learning discuss what games can bring to your business. The conversation exhibits key insights into the value of gamification in HR.

This episode looks at how HR teams can use games and gamification to improve  recruitment and onboarding processes, foster positive work environments and improve team dynamics.

From the Tiger’s Mouth: Cultivating success with employee wellness and mental health initiatives

Tiger New York’s Senior Consultant Jessica Krisburg, sat down with Jessalynn Hudgins, founder of Whole Health Wellness, to discuss how HR teams can leverage employee wellness initiatives to improve mental health, workplace morale, and resonate with jobseekers and employees alike.

They also analyze the future trends in employee wellbeing, how HR teams can utilize technology to support wellbeing policies, strategies that companies should take note of, and much more.
Listen to the episode below!

For insights and resources for HR professionals, click here.

The post From the Tiger’s Mouth: podcast for HR professionals appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Exceptional, innovative, industry-leading employees won’t simply walk through your company’s front door, no matter how impressive the reception. Competition is too high at the moment to be complacent or passive when it comes to hiring talent acquisition staff. To adapt an old saying, good things come to those with… a strong talent acquisition team – and building that strong team means knowing what to look for in a candidate.

But what is talent acquisition? It’s not simply a matter of recruiting to fill existing roles – it encompasses elements of HR, business strategy, marketing and trend forecasting, and thus calls for people with several strings to their bow.

Five key attributes of talent acquisition specialists

A good judge of character

It may seem overly simple, but an essential starting point for any talent acquisition professional is a strong intuition about who is the right fit for the role in question. This goes beyond gut instinct; a top talent acquisition specialist will train this perception by being deeply immersed in the ins and outs of their company, its industry, and the wider culture.

Within this context they will need to weigh the prospect’s personality, skillset and experience against the company’s needs, the dynamic of the team already in place, and the challenges in the future. The latter point leads us to another important trait.

Future-conscious

Time waits for no company, so staying ahead of the curve requires constant attention. The ways we do business have changed drastically even in the last 10 years, often leaving skills gaps within your workforce that must be plugged swiftly.

Your TA team should be in the vanguard, looking for potential challenges and opportunities up ahead and keeping a close eye on the competition. This way, they can report to business heads on the company’s blind spots and advise on recruitment drives and in-house staff training to ensure future-proofing across the whole business.

Tech-savvy

Hand-in-hand with a forward-thinking mindset is technological know-how. Recruiting for roles is becoming increasingly data-driven, and while the latter stages of choosing the right candidate will always benefit from the human touch, starting with the data approach is more and more essential.

The best TA teams understand this and are well-trained in the latest data software and analysis. They put in research on candidates through a variety of means that go well beyond the typical CV and interview route.

Speak the language

It’s often new technology and changing cultural norms that expose holes in a company’s operational knowledge, so it follows that those with the necessary skillset are typically in the younger demographic. It’s important then to be able to communicate with them in a way that will catch their interest and draw them in.

We’re not suggesting going all-out on memes or TikTok videos, but tweaking certain aspects of company branding and your job adverts will show your company to be a player in the here and now, facing the future. Talent Acquisition teams should work closely with marketing departments to ensure they’re talking to the right audience in the right language.

Relationship-minded

Identifying a highly promising prospect is only half the battle for talent acquisition managers; attracting and then securing them as a new hire requires a different set of relationship management skills. We’ve spoken of the importance of talent recruiters planning for and targeting business growth, but they also need to think of the other side of the table and show prospective employees the opportunity for their career growth at the company.

And that’s not all; it’s also crucial that TA teams think internally as well as externally. The best TA specialist will follow through on the promises made in the courting phase and pay close attention to the needs of these new hires (and, indeed, the full gamut of employee retention), devising training and development plans and wellness initiatives that both attract and retain.

Along with the wider HR department, talent acquisition performs an impressive balancing act between business needs and employee needs, something that has been at the front of everyone’s minds since the pandemic began. Having a strong TA team can thus be a key piece of the puzzle in staying ahead of the competition.

As for acquiring the acquisition, Tiger HR is the leader in placing talent acquisition candidates in all manner of businesses, so please get in touch today to talk to a consultant about your needs.

The post The Five attributes we look for in talent acquisition specialists appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of Contents

• Diversity in hiring
• Writing a job description
• How to write a good job advert
• Creative candidate attraction strategies
• What to look for in a resume when hiring
• A manager’s interview guide
• Tailoring interview questions
• The offer process and securing a candidate
• Best-practice onboarding process

We have matched exceptional jobseekers with fantastic businesses since 2001 and, for those looking to recruit staff, the recruitment and selection process has changed drastically since then. The pandemic instigated a significant shift in the way we work, and therefore a change in the desires of both businesses and jobseekers.

Now, we’re seeing another dramatic shift in hiring. Both the pandemic and the calls for increased diversity in the workplace have forced many businesses to transform their recruitment and selection processes. From the conversations we’re having with employers in the wake of this, it’s clear there is a need for a simple, straightforward guide to the basics of the recruitment and selection process from start to finish.

What is recruitment and selection

Recruitment and selection processes refer to the procedure of finding suitable candidates for a company to fill job vacancies. It involves identifying the requirements of a job, advertising the position, defining the requirements of the position, and choosing the appropriate candidate for the job.

Learning the recruitment and selection process effectively is essential for employers who want to recruit suitable staff, save the business time and optimize resources. Following each step of the process through to selection will also lead to better retention rates and long-term hires.

Difference between recruitment and selection

What is the difference between recruitment and selection?

Recruitment refers to the process of finding potential applications for a role. If you’re working with a recruiter, this might be with an initial briefing to understand exactly what you’re looking for, so that they might then write a job ad, search for candidates, and provide a shortlist. Once you’ve signed off on this, the next step would involve an interview process. Selection then follows, which is the route to hiring your preferred employee from those you’ve met.

In other words, selection is the process of choosing the right person for the job.

Recruitment and selection policy?

A comprehensive recruitment and selection policy ensures consistency in the process and helps to manage expectations for all parties. Such a policy serves as a guiding framework that outlines the organization’s principles, procedures and best practices for attracting, assessing, and hiring potential candidates.

Firstly, a well-defined policy ensures consistency and fairness throughout the recruitment process. Establishing clear guidelines and criteria, it helps minimize any potential biases and ensures that all candidates are assessed on their merits and qualifications. Moreover, a recruitment and selection policy promotes transparency, both internally and externally. It provides employees with a clear understanding of the company’s hiring practices, ensuring a consistent approach and reducing ambiguity or confusion. Externally, it presents a professional and ethical image of the company, fostering trust between jobseekers and employers. Additionally, a robust policy helps mitigate legal risks and compliance issues by ensuring adherence to applicable laws and regulations. It outlines procedures for handling sensitive information, ensuring confidentiality and data protection.

Overall, a recruitment and selection policy is crucial for maintaining a fair, efficient and legally compliant recruitment process, ultimately leading to the identification and hiring of the most suitable candidates for the organization’s needs.

Tiger’s recruitment and selection process

Let’s look at Tiger’s recruitment and selection process.

Diversity in hiring

Diversity is about including, embracing and empowering a range of people by respecting and appreciating their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and education. Diversity is important because everyone deserves to have the same opportunities in the workplace. However, due to discrimination, prejudice and systemic racism, this is rarely the case. So, if a workplace promotes diversity and inclusion through actionable initiatives, it can help provide opportunities for those from underrepresented groups.

Everyone brings a unique perspective to the workplace, and if an office is diverse, these different perspectives can make organizations stronger and more successful.

There have been many studies to support this, one being a study by McKinsey, which found that companies with an increased number of women and those from diverse backgrounds on their boards generated ROE that were 53% higher than those that lacked diversity.

Federal laws currently in place

Legally, unlawful discrimination in the workplace is dealt with under several key pieces of legislation:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
• Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990

Many of the state laws around the country are similar to the federal laws stated above. In almost all state laws, there is a protection against discrimination based on factors such as race, gender, age, marital status, nationality, religion or disability.

When a particular state’s law doesn’t lay out protection against discrimination, the federal laws will then apply.

Effective tools in encouraging diversity include:

• Blind resumes
  • Removing names, ages and genders from resumes before they are passed to the hiring manager
  • These can still be read in a certain way, so they should not be the only measure put in place to remove bias
• Skills testing
  • Using skills tests as the first step in the recruitment process can help jobseekers progress through to the following stages in the recruitment process, based entirely on their skills
  • This can help remove bias based on protected characteristics in the first stage of the recruitment process
• Creating a role-based scorecard for interviews
  • Using a set scorecard for each interviewee, which is weighted towards essential skills/ characteristics – this can make interviews more objective
• Diversity targets
  • These can be based on the location of the office (reflecting the general population of that area)
  • Communicate your diversity targets to your recruiter in the first instance
• Including a hiring metric based on diversity
  • If an employee’s potential contribution to the diversity of a team is taken into account in the recruitment process, it will result in a more diverse talent pool

Writing a good job specification

A job specification (job spec) or job description is a document created for candidates to understand the details of the job before they apply for it. It’s an easy way for them to understand what the job will entail and decide if it’s the right position for them.

Why is a job description important?

• It will convey the company’s expectations for the position in a transparent way
• It helps the business stay competitive in the market, as well as prove its investment in employees through details about benefits and company culture
• It will help distinguish between suitable candidates and those who don’t have essential skills or requirements
• It makes the recruitment process easier from the very start, as the job spec clearly sets out expectations
• It gives the candidate a clear understanding of the role and what’s expected from them
• It can attract and entice candidates
• A good job spec comes across as professional and organized, helping to represent the employer brand in a positive light
• The more detailed the job spec, the easier it is for a recruiter to find the best possible person for the role

Format of a good job spec

• Information about the company
• Day-to-day duties
• Requirements/skills/experience needed (this can be separated into essential and desired categories)
• Personal attributes
• Benefits of the role

Writing a good job ad

If you’re not using a recruiter, likely, you will likely also write a job advertisement for the role in-house. The ultimate goal of a job ad is to attract the best talent, so it’s worth taking the time to write a fantastic ad.

While you want to attract the best talent, all role expectations must be communicated clearly and understood by the employee before any type of commitment is made. If a role includes a large amount of administration or irregular hours, mention it – otherwise, a discrepancy between what an employee expects and what you can deliver could arise.

Other elements to consider when writing a job ad include spelling and grammar, tone of voice, a clear heading, simple language and enthusiasm. Writing the best possible job ad will also reflect positively on your employer brand, which ensures your opportunity is considered by the right candidates.

There are also common mistakes that we see many employers make when writing their job ads. The following are some things to avoid:

• Exaggerating the position or company
• Ignoring company culture
• Being evasive about salary

What’s the difference between a job ad and a job description?

Remember, a job ad and a job description are different: a job description describes what a candidate does for you, whereas an ad should focus on what you can do for them.

If using a recruiter, they will likely write the job ad for you once you’ve provided them with a thorough job description or spec.

Creative candidate attraction strategies

When looking to attract talented candidates, it’s useful to think outside the box (and the traditional job ad). It could be as elaborate as a creative job ad or as simple as setting up a strong referral process. Looking for inspiration to get you started? Head over to our blog on creative ways to attract the best talent.

Remember, by 2025, millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce, so it’s incredibly important that you take them into account as part of your attraction strategy. You can do this by investing in your digital presence. They are the first generation to grow up surrounded by digital technologies, and as such, they will rely on the internet for information about your employer brand. Invest in building a digital presence that’s attractive to the best talent, with consistent messaging and experiences across all sites. Don’t be afraid to use social media for sourcing – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Glassdoor can all be effective.

What to look for in a resume when hiring

When looking at candidates’ resumes, it’s important to know what to look out for with a quick scan of the document. Below, we outline what we look for in a great resume, along with common misconceptions we’ve heard along the way.

Resume layout

So, what should a resume look like? Look for:

• Consistent formatting
• Correct spelling/grammar
• No more than two to three pages in length
• Simple design and font use

Education

Education is important, but often employers will rule out candidates who don’t have a college degree, even if they are intelligent (e.g. have previously taken AP classes or exams). We see this quite often when hiring executive assistants and office managers. Remember, if you do rule out a candidate based on their college qualifications, you’re at risk of narrowing your pool of candidates and potentially excluding your dream hire!

Interests/achievements/further information

These sections are a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a candidate on a personal level, behind the resume. This, in turn, gives you a better indication of their personality and if they are likely to be a good fit for your workplace. It’s also a good indication of the level of imagination and creativity a candidate possesses, as there isn’t a lot of room for individual expression in the rest of the document. As recruiters, we use this information to help us do just that, so we would highly recommend more than a cursory glance at these sections.

Soft Skills

It can be tempting to hire prospective employees based on specific skillsets, experience, and referrals. Personality type and soft skills like patience and enthusiasm, however, factor into workers’ success just as much (if not more) than their ability to carry out the role. Unlike industry experience and technical skills, soft skills often cannot be taught, though they can make or break a successful onboarding process.

While resumes may outline the soft skills of a candidate, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to completely understand the breadth of these from this alone. Therefore, you should always try to go into soft skills in more detail in the later stages of the process.

Movement on a resume

A number of employers find a resume with a little movement unusual or an indication that the candidate won’t stay in one role for long. While this may have been the case in the past, it’s now very normal for a candidate to ‘hop’ from one role to the next, particularly millennials.

When you review the resume of a job-hopper, consider the following points:

• The caliber of the companies they have worked for
• Why they might have left their previous roles (ask your recruiter for more information about this if you’re unsure)

Essentially, hoppy resumes aren’t necessarily a negative thing, so never exclude a candidate based on this reason alone.

For more tips, read our blog on how to screen resumes

How to conduct an interview 

Effective interview techniques are essential to get the most out of the experience. If done well, you’ll better understand your employees’ motivations and be better equipped to nurture their desired career path for the benefit of your business.

As the interviewer, it’s your job to make the candidate feel at ease in the situation (as they are probably nervous) when conducting interviews. Remember: a calm, informative and honest interview will ensure the candidate performs at their best, allowing you to ultimately make the right decision. It’s also a good idea for hiring managers to prepare for an interview beforehand.

Set the scene for the interview

There are different types of interviews, mainly consisting of 1:1, panel and group assessments, with 1:1 being the most common. By explaining the format of the interview and what the candidates can expect, this will allow them to feel comfortable and will make for more effective interviewing.

Make interviewees feel at ease

If the candidate feels at ease, you will get the best out of them in the interview and have a more accurate representation of their character/ skill set. If working with a recruiter, brief them on what the interview will entail so that they can prepare the candidate on what to expect.

This includes:

• Who will they be meeting?
• What is the interview type (i.e. panel, telephone interview, video)?
• Will there be a skills or psychometric test?

In the interview, you can make the candidate feel comfortable by adopting friendly, open and warm body language. As mentioned above, start the interview by outlining what the candidate can expect. It’s also a good idea to give the candidate an overview of the company and the role as this will allow them to settle in and calm their nerves before answering questions.

There are topics you should avoid venturing into during the interview, as they have no bearing on the candidate’s ability to perform the role successfully.  These could be questions about social media accounts and leading questions.

Structure of interview

In the beginning, reiterate what structure the interview will follow and give the candidate an overview of the company and role. This is an effective interviewing technique as it will make the candidate feel at ease and give them time to tailor their answers and choose the best examples.

Next, talk through a candidate’s resume and experience. This, alongside targeted questioning, will take up most of the interview. The goal here is to find out about the candidate, their previous experience and what they’re looking for in a new role. Questions to ask at this stage may include:

• Their reasons for leaving
• Why they want to work for the company
• What can they bring to the role

After your questions, give the interviewee a chance to ask their own. This allows them to show an interest in the role and company, as well as proves they’ve done background research into the company.

End the interview by explaining what the next steps might be and when the candidate can expect to hear feedback. Regardless of how well the interview went, always thank a candidate for their time and finish on a positive note.

How long does a job interview take?

The length of the interview depends on the role, the level of experience and the number of stages in the interview process. We recommend a minimum of 20 minutes for a first-stage interview (if there are several stages). A single interview could take up to 45 minutes, but try not to keep the candidate too long, especially if they are meeting different people.

Tailoring interview questions

While it’s important to tailor interview questions depending on the specific role the candidates are applying for, there are a number of general questions employers should always ask in an interview. Below, we break down the specific types of questions that can be asked when assessing a candidate.

Different types of interview questions

There are different types of questions that an employer can ask when conducting interviews. These include:

• Open and closed questions – closed questions have a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, whereas open interview questions are those which require further explanation from a candidate.
• Competency/behavioral questions – these are designed to test/ask questions about a candidate’s specific skills or behaviors
• Situational – focuses on a hypothetical circumstance and asks how the candidate would react in that situation
• Probing – often used to learn more about the candidate’s personal qualities, skills and experiences, based on their initial answers to questions

A combination of both competency and situational questions will provide you with a holistic view of a candidate’s thought process and problem-solving abilities. These are open questions and will, therefore, require the candidate to tell you a bit of a story and paint a complete picture of their experience and approach to work. These should be defined ahead of the interview with the desired competencies in mind.

Closed questions can be useful, too. These are the ones that only need one-word answers. They have their place, especially in an interview environment where you might be asking prospective permanent staff technical questions to test their understanding. Equally, if you’re rushed for time, closed questions can be a speedy way of generating easy conversation at the start or end of a meeting.

Competency-based interviews are becoming increasingly popular, with companies opting to ask broad questions that reveal a candidate’s skills and personality behind their resume.

What is a competency-based question?

Competency-based questions typically lead a candidate towards describing a situation and/or task.

For example, you may start a question by saying:

• Tell me about a time when …
• Give an example of when …
• Describe a time when …
• Have you ever been in a situation where …

Competency-based interview questions always require an example of something a candidate has done in the past (to use as an example of their competency or behavior in a certain situation).

Pros of competency-based interviews

Competency-based interviews allow you to use a set script or a score-based system for assessing candidates. This typically means that all candidates are asked the same questions, allowing there to be a fair interview process in place, where every candidate has an equal opportunity to shine. Competency questions force candidates to recall their personal experiences, which may then elaborate on.

Finally, these questions allow candidates to show they have all the experience and capabilities to do the job well.

Cons of competency-based interviews

As with every type of interview, there are cons associated with using competency-based questions. In some cases, candidates spend so much time preparing polished answers that they unintentionally give the impression that they have a robotic personality. Also, some may struggle with the open-ended nature of the questions and end up giving poorly constructed or unclear answers. Typically, these are the most challenging types of questions — some employers report that they find candidates will freeze if they feel they’re put on the spot with a competency-based question. Finally, if an interview focuses exclusively on competencies, a candidate might not get the opportunity to convey their emotions or motivations.

Examples of competency questions

Influencing or persuading others:

• Tell me about a time when you were able to change someone’s viewpoint significantly
• Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something that you disagreed with

Interpersonal and team skills:

• What experience have you had working with a team?
• Which skills and personal qualities have you contributed to the teams you have been a part of?
• Tell me about a time when you used tact and diplomacy
• Tell me about the last time you disagreed with someone
• Tell me about the most difficult person you have worked with
• What have you disliked in your past jobs?
• What kinds of people do you enjoy working with?
• What qualities do you admire most in others?

Communication skills:

• Tell me about a time when you were successful in getting crucial information from another person
• Tell me about a time when someone misunderstood what you were attempting to communicate to them

Personal adaptability, energy and resilience:

• Tell me about a time when you felt under pressure
• Tell me about a time when your work or ideas were criticized
• Tell me about a time when you felt frustrated by your work

Self-management, self-motivation and self-knowledge:

• Tell me about a time when you acted over and above the expectations of your role
• What have you done that shows initiative and willingness to work?
• What are three major accomplishments from your last role?
• What does ‘success’ mean to you?
• What does ‘failure’ mean to you?
• What motivates you at work?
• What are your interests outside work?
• Tell me about a major problem you have encountered and how you dealt with it.

Problem solving and decision making:

• Tell me about a difficult decision that you have made
• Tell me about an unpopular decision you have made
• What significant problems have you faced in the last year?
• How do you work under pressure?
• How would you motivate an employee who was performing poorly?

Conflict management and ethics:

• How did you resolve conflict in the groups or teams that you were a member of?
• How would you resolve a dispute?
• Tell me about a time when you bent the rules. When is it okay to do so?

Personal and career objectives:

• What are your short- and long-term goals?
• What are the most important things you are seeking in a career?
• Who do you admire most and why?
• Why do you want this position?

Knowledge of the organization and role:

• Why did you apply for this position?
• What skills and personal qualities are essential for success in this role?
• What would you like to know about this organization?
• What do you believe you can contribute to this organization?
• What do you know about our organization?
• Why are you interested in working for our organization?
• In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
• What qualities should a successful manager possess?
• Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those reporting to him or her

Work experience:

• Tell me about the best job you’ve ever had
• What did you enjoy most or least about your last job?
• What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

Ability, competence and achievement:

• What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
• What do you feel qualifies you for this position?

Stress questions:

• How do you react to criticism?
• Can you accept criticism for poor work?
• What causes you to lose your temper?
• Aren’t you overqualified for this role?
• How long would you expect to remain with this organization?

Essentially, what you’re looking for is someone who can positively contribute to the business by using their pre-existing knowledge and any new skills they learn on the job. It’s important to establish that they possess the relevant skills for the advertised role, which can be conducted through a small skills-based task.

The offer process and securing a candidate

Congratulations! All your hard work throughout the interview process has paid off, and you’ve found your dream hire! Below, we outline the next steps to take to ensure you win over your chosen candidate as quickly as possible.

The pre-offer stage

The offer process is an integral part of securing your dream candidate. Essentially, strong communication and acting quickly are key.

This process begins before interviews start, as communicating timings and setting expectations around the interview process are absolutely essential. If working with a recruiter, talk to them to learn important information, such as where the candidates might be in recruitment processes for other positions and salary expectations.

Offer and acceptance

When making an offer to a candidate, this usually begins with a verbal conversation. During this talk, you may mention salary, benefits, an expected start date and reference requirements.

In some cases, there may be some negotiation and working around a counter-offer from the existing employer.

Once the candidate accepts, you will be able to get in contact with them directly (if you’ve been using a recruitment agency up to this point). At this stage, the contract and offer letter are sent to the candidate.

Elements to include in the contract/offer letter

There are a few key points to include in a contract or job offer letter. These include:

• The job title and key duties
• Compensation, benefits and terms, i.e. start date, working hours, notice period, and probation period
• The name of their direct line manager

You will also need to carry out any background checks and talk to the candidate about when they will hand in notice with their current employer (if applicable).

Finally, communicate any final information pre-starting with the candidate. This could include the start date/time, who to ask for on arrival and how the onboarding process will go ahead.

Best-practice onboarding process

The hiring process doesn’t end at the candidate’s acceptance of the job. Without a smooth introduction to the organization in the days following their acceptance, you are in danger of alienating your new recruits and impacting their motivation and productivity.

Effective inductions are timely, organized and engaging. The aim is to inspire and excite new starters while giving a good first impression of the company. They should set out an organization’s mission and vision for them, while educating them about the company’s history, culture and values.

Your employee onboarding process could take up to three months, depending on the level and scope of the role. HR staff, line managers or the office manager can help onboard new staff. We’ve outlined the best practices for onboarding below:

Planning the onboarding in advance

A successful onboarding process doesn’t begin from the new employee’s start date. As soon as the individual accepts the role, you should be managing your new recruit’s perception of the organization’s brand and the team they’re about to join.

How to structure a new starter’s first day

On a new starter’s first day:

• Welcome them in and show them around the office, all the facilities and their desk
• Introduce them to their line manager, colleagues and senior managers
• Put in place a well-planned timetable
• Make sure they’re aware of any soft benefits that they can take advantage of on a daily basis (casual Fridays, free lunches, etc.)
• Tailor the induction to suit the new employee — for example, a graduate’s onboarding is likely to be different to a new employee who has extensive experience with other companies or someone returning to work after a long absence
• Provide them with a training manual that they can refer to, which includes all company procedures, including health and safety and company information

A new starter’s first weeks

It’s a good idea for HR to organize catch-ups with individual managers once they’ve started the role. Communicate to managers that this is an important step in the new starter’s onboarding process, as it will also help them to feel as though senior staff are taking a genuine interest in them and their skills.

The first few weeks are the most important time for any new starter. In this time, they’ll form an opinion of your company which will be hard to change if it isn’t a positive one.

Send around an email asking their colleagues to introduce themselves so that they have informal introductions over a few days. Introducing them to everyone at once will be overwhelming and the recruit is unlikely to remember any names. Organizing a buddy who can take them for lunch and show them around the local area is also a good way to relax and orientate them.

Continue holding regular catch-ups and check-ins, and allow different team members to take part in the induction process to draw on their own skill sets and give them some responsibility when training the new starter.

Planning a new starter’s initial workload

Recognize that a new employee will take some time to be able to work at their full capacity. If you enforce deadlines too quickly, you could get the wrong impression of their capabilities, as they may be tempted to rush tasks to deliver them on time. Small mistakes are likely to be made while the recruit is taking in all this new information, so try to set them small tasks and evaluate their performance after each is completed, ensuring that you give constructive feedback.

Remote onboarding

If onboarding remotely, it’s important that:

• Any necessary hardware is sent to a new starter’s home office
• They have scheduled video calls with their team, their line manager and the person leading their induction
• They have a new starter guide which outlines all of the systems used for communication e.g. Skype, Slack, Zoom
• They are provided an e-version of their induction schedule
• They are included in any virtual social events with the company
• Their buddy contacts them regularly about work or otherwise

Remember, the onboarding process can be overwhelming for a new starter. It’s important that everyone in the office reaches out and makes them feel welcome.

If you’d like any additional guidance on recruiting new staff, get in touch with us today and we’ll be able to guide you through the process. If you’d like to request the PDF version of our Interview and Selection guide please email us at marketing@tiger-recruitment.co.uk.

The post An interview guide for the best candidate selection appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Creating impactful charity-corporate partnerships can generate incredible value, not only for the charity itself but also for all employees involved. From making a difference in your local community to improving team morale, these partnerships present a powerful opportunity to align corporate goals with meaningful social impact.

We spoke to Brendan McGowan, a Senior Consultant at New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), on our podcast, From the Tiger’s Mouth, to share his tips for establishing meaningful partnerships. With 20 years of experience working in the charity sector, Brendan breaks down the essential steps to effectively define and measure your impact.

Setting up an effective charity partnership

Start with a Clear Rationale

Whether motivated by an emotional connection, a critical unmet need, or a desire to boost visibility for a cause, companies should establish a well-defined purpose for their charitable partnerships. Brendan explains how this clarity helps to establish alignment from the outset and provides a strong foundation for a successful collaboration. For example, Kellogg’s partnership with Magic Breakfast addresses food insecurity by providing breakfasts to children. The alignment of a cereal brand providing breakfasts for children is clear, with Kellogg’s bringing their expertise to make a real impact.

Define Your Desired Impact

Before embarking on any partnership, it is vital to identify what success looks like. Brendan emphasizes the importance of understanding both short- and long-term goals. For some organizations, success might mean achieving certain measurable outcomes, such as meeting specific fundraising goals. For others, it could involve broader ambitions like improving wellbeing within the local community or supporting multi-year initiatives. Establishing these benchmarks early on and continuing to check in on your progress, helps ensure that both the charity and the business remain aligned throughout the entire partnership.

Leverage Your Unique Assets

Beyond financial contributions, consider the unique skills, expertise, and resources your company can offer. Brendan stresses that successful partnerships involve more than just transactional donations. Companies may wish to contribute to the charity’s impact by providing strategic advice, marketing support, or technical expertise. For instance, employees might offer IT training for a charity’s staff or use their own financial acumen to serve as trustees, adding lasting value to the relationship.

Understand the Charity’s Needs

Building a meaningful relationship requires a deep understanding of the charity’s challenges and priorities. Those involved in the partnership should spend time learning about the charity’s operations to confirm that they are addressing real priorities rather than perceived ones. Brendan shared a fantastic example of Leyton Orient FC, whose foundation, the Leyton Orient Trust, delivers place-based initiatives such as coaching within local schools and youth groups, a recovery program and employment support for adults in the area. By embedding themselves within their local community, Leyton Orient FC has achieved a profound, long-lasting impact.

Co-Design the Strategy

Work closely with your chosen charity to create a shared roadmap. This should include clear objectives, measures of success, and a framework which lays out how you will commit to continuous improvement. Brendan also highlights the importance of recognizing the power dynamics between companies and charities and explains how open, honest communication can help to balance out this relationship. Co-designing the strategy not only builds trust but also establishes mutual ownership of the charitable outcomes.

Use Theory of Change to Measure Success

The theory of change framework offers a structured method for evaluating the impact of charity-corporate partnerships. This process includes completing a situation analysis, defining your target groups, mapping activities to their outcomes and identifying key metrics to monitor progress. Brendan describes it as a comprehensive strategy that helps all stakeholders understand their roles and contributions toward achieving the partnership’s goals. By continuously reviewing and reflecting on the partnership’s aims and plans, both companies and charities can optimize their efforts to achieve maximum impact.

Support with Multi-Year Funding

One of the many ways companies can provide meaningful support is through multi-year funding. This enables charities to plan strategically and invest in sustainable solutions, rather than constantly seeking short-term funding. For businesses, committing to multi-year partnerships signals a genuine commitment to social impact, and ultimately allows for deeper stakeholder engagement.

Enhancing Employee Engagement

Charity partnerships offer much more than external impact; they can also transform the culture of a workplace. Activities like volunteering days, charity challenges, or collaborative projects provide employees with opportunities for skill development and purpose-driven work. For instance, a marketing team might collaborate with a charity to enhance its communications strategy, creating an opportunity for mutual learning. These initiatives help to build camaraderie and pride within teams, ultimately boosting overall staff engagement and retention.

Real-World Examples

Brendan highlighted several examples of impactful partnerships:

• Magic Breakfast and Kellogg’s: This collaboration addresses food insecurity by providing school-aged children with daily breakfasts, aligning Kellogg’s product offerings with a pressing social need.
• Leyton Orient Trust and Leyton Orient FC: By embedding themselves within their local community, this partnership delivers initiatives which tackle health inequalities and unemployment.
• Good Things Foundation and O2: Focused on digital inclusion, this collaboration offers free data to underserved communities, addressing the digital divide.

Practical Advice for Businesses

For companies considering charity partnerships, Brendan recommends that all stakeholders take a realistic and pragmatic approach. Mistakes are inevitable, but maintaining open dialogue and a willingness to adapt can help all involved to overcome challenges. Brendan suggests starting small, focusing on just one charity initially, and expanding partnerships as alignment and trust grow.

Why It Matters

At Tiger Recruitment, we’ve seen the incredible potential of charity partnerships firsthand through our ongoing work with Helen Bamber. Whether through pub quizzes or office fundraising challenges, our initiatives have not only supported a vital cause but also strengthened our team’s bond and sense of purpose.

For employers, hiring managers, and HR teams, these partnerships offer an opportunity to enhance your company’s external reputation while also delivering tangible benefits to both employees and the wider community. By following Brendan’s checklist and committing to long-term, collaborative relationships, you can create charitable partnerships that truly make a difference.

To hear more insights from Brendan McGowan, listen to the full episode of From the Tiger’s Mouth here, and for more information on developing meaningful charity partnerships, visit NPC’s website here.

The post How to Build Impactful Charity-Corporate Partnerships appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Before implementing any initiatives to improve inclusion, it is essential to first assess your company’s progress on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Failing to do so can lead to assumptions and the oversight of key opportunities for improvement. Without analyzing the data, how can you determine where to focus your efforts, which teams lack diverse representation, or where unconscious bias persists?

We know that diverse workforces far outperform those companies that don’t prioritize workplace DEI. A 2023 McKinsey report found that businesses in the top quartile for gender diversity on their board of directors are 27% more likely to financially outperform those in the bottom quartile. Similarly, those in the top quartile for ethnically diverse boards are 13% more likely to outperform the bottom quartile of businesses.

That’s why we asked Luiza Barwood, a seasoned Talent Consultant, DEI Adviser and Career Coach, to share her advice in a recent episode of Tiger Recruitment’s podcast From the Tiger’s Mouth. Luiza discussed how businesses can collect and analyze DEI data to drive maximum impact, even with limited resources.

Understanding DEI: The Basics

Before even starting to measure DEI, it’s essential to first understand what the terms diversity, equity and inclusion entail, particularly in the context of a workplace:

• Diversity refers to the mix of people within an organization. This includes both visible and invisible characteristics such as gender, race, disability, age, neurodiversity, and socioeconomic background.
• Equity ensures fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all employees. While equality gives everyone the same resources, equity recognizes systemic barriers and provides tailored support to level the playing field.
• Inclusion focuses on creating a culture where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute fully.

Why Measuring DEI Matters

Measuring DEI is essential for accountability and continuous improvement. Without concrete data, businesses risk engaging in performative programs rather than implementing meaningful change. Measuring workplace inclusion helps to answer critical questions such as:

• Who are we hiring, and is there diversity across all levels of the company?
• Who is being promoted, and are growth opportunities accessible to all employees?
• Who is leaving after a short time? If there is a trend of certain demographics of employees leaving, what is driving them away?

It is crucial to address a broad range of metrics when measuring DEI. For example, an organization might have a fantastic program to attract diverse talent but struggle to retain this diverse workforce once employees are through the door. Analyzing a variety of metrics will mean that DEI efforts can be focused on the areas that are most needed rather than wasting resources on already high-performing areas.

Key Metrics for Measuring DEI

To track DEI progress, businesses must analyze both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (descriptive, non-numerical) data:

Workforce Demographics

Gathering quantitative demographic data across different levels of the business is the first step. Companies should track diversity in recruitment, promotions, and leadership positions, utilizing resources such as DEI monitoring forms, filled out by job applicants. However, it is crucial to handle this demographic data with sensitivity and to explicitly communicate to employees how their data is being used.

Pay Equity Analysis

Analyzing salary data by gender, race, disability, and other protected characteristics can reveal pay gaps and compensation inequities. Collecting this quantitative data will highlight areas for improvement.

Employee Feedback and Inclusion Surveys

Numbers alone can’t provide the full picture of DEI progress. Conducting anonymous surveys to gauge employee experiences can uncover deeper insights into a company’s working environment. Key questions might include:

• Do you feel your voice is heard in meetings?
• Do you believe promotions are fairly distributed?
• Do you trust leadership to support DEI initiatives?

Retention Rates

Tracking who stays and who leaves can help to identify disparities. Are certain groups of employees leaving at higher rates? If so, what barriers might be driving them away? While some of this retention data can be monitored using quantitative methods, pulse surveys and exit interviews will help HR teams to better understand any barriers preventing employees from remaining and progressing within the business.

Challenges in Measuring DEI

There are some common pitfalls when it comes to DEI measurement. Challenges can include:

Data Gaps

Employees may be hesitant to disclose demographic information due to privacy concerns. It is important to communicate exactly how data will be used and your company’s data privacy policies in order to reassure employees of how their data is analyzed.

Lack of Actionable Insights

Gathering data is only useful if it leads to meaningful changes. Businesses should go beyond surface-level statistics to identify root causes of disparities and act swiftly to implement targeted solutions, such as policy changes or leadership training.

One-Size-Fits-All Approaches

DEI strategies should be tailored to a company’s specific needs. This is why measuring data is so impactful, as it enables you to implement strategies that will make a real difference.

The Role of AI in Measuring DEI

AI can transform the way we track and analyze DEI effort, and in particular, can support small businesses who have limited resources.

Inclusive Recruitment Processes

Starting from the very beginning of the recruitment cycle, Luiza suggests using AI to help create unbiased job descriptions. You can ask your chosen AI tool to help you identify and remove biased language that may deter certain demographics from applying. Once at the interview stage, AI platforms can help hiring managers remove bias from interview questions and select a diverse hiring panel.

AI in Data Analysis

AI tools can significantly cut down on resources required to analyze DEI data, when employees know how to use them effectively. Once the data has been gathered and anonymized, this can be plugged into an AI platform to analyze the breakdown of demographics that your company currently is attracting, helping you to see any disparities.

AI can also help examine promotion data, identify gaps and suggesting ways to enhance data collection processes.

Innovative Improvement Strategies

Once past the analyzing stage, AI can support you in discovering methods to improve your current efforts. Luiza suggests asking your chosen platform to create a schedule of employee resource groups and requesting prompts to initiate constructive group discussions.

Furthermore, AI can be useful if you’re looking to create a business case for senior leadership once a disparity has become apparent. For example, if you’re struggling to attract female engineers, an AI tool can suggest some targeted initiatives and evidence their efficacy within other organizations.

Yet, it is important to remember that AI needs to be used responsibly. Depending on the system in use, some AI platforms exhibit algorithm bias, often stemming from biased training data. Therefore, it is essential to have human oversight on any AI initiative to check for and address potential biases.

Turning Data into Action

While collecting data is a key step to improving a business’ DEI practices, it is just the beginning. Companies must follow through on their findings to initiate real progress. To turn DEI data into action, businesses should:

Communicate Findings Transparently

Employees should understand why their data is being collected and how it will be used. To further improve communication, companies can regularly feedback to employees on how their data has been used to implement inclusive initiatives. This may encourage employees to share their experiences more readily, making future DEI measurements even more representative of the full business.

Set Clear Goals

It is important to establish measurable objectives once you have noticed a disparity in opportunities. Examples may include increasing diverse representation in leadership roles by a certain percentage, or improving trust in leadership to support DEI by providing annual inclusion training.

Implement Targeted Improvements

Identified gaps can be addressed through mentorship programs, inclusive hiring practices, and equitable career development opportunities. For further support on how to make your hiring practices more inclusive, please see our DEI Recruitment Guidelines.

Monitor and Adapt

DEI metrics should be regularly reviewed to ensure that improvement strategies remain relevant. Goals and strategies may need adjusting based on your findings to ensure they are still having the desired impact.

Measuring DEI is a continuous journey rather than a one-time task. Businesses that authentically commit to tracking, analyzing, and acting on DEI data will create a fairer workplace, and ultimately build a stronger, more successful business in the long run. By developing an inclusive environment where all employees feel supported to perform at their best, businesses position themselves as ethical, responsible employers, enabling them to attract and retain exceptional talent.

The post How to Measure Diversity Within an Organization appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

I hosted a webinar with three mental health specialists based in the UK – Jo Yarker from Affinity Health at Work, Business Psychologist Julie Osborn and Ruth Cooper-Dickson from Champs Consulting – on their tips for employers in improving mental health in the workplace during the pandemic. 

They cover:

• Tips for managers in looking after their mental health
• The importance of wellbeing and social check-ins with employees
• The signs that employees may be suffering from mental ill health
• Tips for future planning

Watch the webinar in full below:

The post Watch: Tips to improve the mental health of employees working remotely appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Whether you’re a small business experiencing growth or a large corporation needing to improve efficiency and compliance, choosing to hire a financial controller is a strategic step. They play a vital role in managing day-to-day accounting operations and ensuring financial accuracy. A skilled controller can also provide valuable insights, helping to drive your business forward.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about hiring a financial controller. From understanding their role and responsibilities to identifying the signs it’s time to bring one on board, we’ve got you covered.

What Is a Financial Controller?

A financial controller is a senior financial executive who’s responsible for overseeing a company’s accounting operations. They ensure that the day-to-day accounting activities and reports are accurate and compliant. They can also offer valuable insights based on the accounting data to help with decision-making.

The Role of a Financial Controller

Whether you are running a major corporation or small business, a financial controller has an important role to play in your company. They ensure your accounting operations are accurate, compliant, and efficient.

Here are some of their key responsibilities:

• Overseeing all accounting operations.
• Ensuring the accuracy of financial reports.
• Ensuring compliance with financial regulations and internal policies.
• Preparing financial statements, including income statements and balance sheets.
• Conducting internal audits to prevent inaccuracies and fraud.
• Developing and monitoring budgets.
• Analyzing financial data to identify trends and provide insights.
• Managing the accounting team and financial processes.
• Supporting strategic financial planning and decision-making.

How a Financial Controller Differs from Other Financial Roles

Financial controllers fill a unique role in your business. They are more than just accountants because they oversee the entire accounting process, ensuring compliance and accuracy. If you need someone to handle basic bookkeeping and daily transactions, you will hire an accountant, not a controller.

The controllers also differ from finance directors. While controllers focus on managing daily accounting operations and ensuring accurate financial reports, finance directors set the overall financial strategy and goals for the company. The controllers will manage the day-to-day, while the finance directors will manage the broader financial direction.

They also play a distinct role compared to finance business partners. Finance business partners are deeply integrated with different departments. They use their financial insights to guide strategic initiatives and ensure collaboration between finance and operational teams.

Signs Your Business Needs a Financial Controller

Knowing when to hire a financial controller is crucial. Here are some of the sure signs that your business needs to recruit a controller:

Rapid Business Growth

If your business is experiencing rapid growth, it can become challenging to manage finances effectively. A controller can help ensure that your accounting operations scale with your business. They provide the expertise needed to handle increased financial complexity and support sustainable growth.

Increased Regulatory Requirements

As your business grows, so do the regulatory requirements you must comply with. A controller ensures that all financial practices meet legal standards and internal policies, helping you avoid any costly penalties.

Inaccurate Financial Reporting

Frequent errors or inconsistencies in your accounting reports are clear signs that you are relying too heavily on your accountants. Financial controllers bring the necessary skills to improve accuracy and reliability in financial reporting, ensuring you have the precise data needed for making informed business decisions.

Qualifications and Skills to Look for in a Financial Controller

If it’s time for your business to hire a financial controller, you need to know what to look for in potential candidates. All candidates should have a strong background in accounting and finance, demonstrated by a relevant degree and professional certifications.

To suit this role, the candidate should also have strong analytical skills, proficiency in accounting software, and reporting capabilities. Candidates with experience in your industry will mean they are familiar with industry-specific financial challenges and regulations, making them a great fit.

How to Hire a Financial Controller

Using finance recruitment agencies can streamline the hiring process. These specialized agencies will quickly identify your specific needs and match you with the right candidates. They can also help you with creating the perfect job description, screening, and securing your ideal candidate, saving you time and effort.

If you want to do it yourself, follow our step-by-step process:

1. Identifying Your Needs

You first need to identify your business’s needs for this role. Consulting with your accountancy team can provide valuable insights into what is required. They can highlight areas where additional support is needed and identify specific skills that are crucial for the role.

You can then use this information to create a detailed job description. A well-crafted job description will attract candidates who are well-suited to meet your business’s specific requirements. Make sure to clearly outline the responsibilities, qualifications, and skills needed for the role.

2. Finding Potential Candidates

A finance recruitment agency is one of the best ways to find potential candidates. They have extensive networks and resources to connect you with highly qualified professionals. This can speed up the hiring process and ensure you find top talent.

You can also place the job description online on various job boards, network within your industry, and use LinkedIn to find suitable candidates. Attending industry events can help you meet professionals who might be looking for new opportunities. These methods can help you reach a broad audience and find the right fit for your business.

3. Evaluating Financial Controllers

Start by assessing candidates’ resumes to identify those with the right qualifications and experience. Look for relevant certifications, such as CPA, and experience in accounting management. Pay attention to the industries of their previous roles and any accomplishments to determine their suitability for your role.

Conducting interviews is the next crucial step in the evaluation process. You will need to prepare a set of questions that cover both technical skills and their problem-solving abilities. Make sure to ask about their experience with reporting, compliance, and how they have handled any financial challenges in the past.

You can also use assessments, such as practical tests or case studies, to gain insights into a candidate’s capabilities. These assessments help ensure you choose a candidate who can effectively manage your accounting operations.

4. Making the Decision

It’s now time to decide who you will bring into your business. Before making an offer, it’s always best to check the references and background of your potential candidate. This ensures the person you choose will be the best fit for your company’s culture and future success.

Once you have narrowed it down to one candidate, you can make them a formal job offer. This should clearly state the terms of employment, including salary, benefits, and any other relevant details. With a well-structured offer, you are set to secure the top candidate.

Check out our finance and accounting salary and benefits review to ensure you are making a competitive offer that will attract and retain your ideal candidate.

How a Financial Controller with Tiger Finance

At Tiger Finance, we’re ready to help you hire a financial controller. We have years of industry experience and access to an extensive network of both active and passive candidates, ensuring that we will always find the right fit for your role. Our team will support you throughout the hiring process, from sourcing candidates to aftercare.

Fill in the request form so that we can make your recruitment process easier and faster.

The post Hire a Financial Controller: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Managing business finances can be overwhelming. You have to deal with tax preparation, financial forecasting, regulatory compliance, and more. Add challenging economic conditions and changing regulations into the mix, and the task becomes even more daunting.

That’s why it’s crucial to have a competent accountant on your team. Their expertise is essential for maintaining your financial health and driving your business forward.

In this guide, we explore the benefits of hiring an accountant, the costs, and how to find the perfect match for your financial management needs. If you need help finding qualified accountant candidates, Tiger Finance is here to help.

What is an Accountant?

An accountant is a professional trained in managing financial accounts, ensuring compliance with tax laws, and providing financial advice. Any business, from small startups to large corporations, can hire an accountant to help manage their finances. Individuals can also hire an accountant for taxes and other financial tasks, especially those with complex financial situations who will benefit from an accountant’s expertise.

Accountants are frequently mistaken for bookkeepers. Bookkeepers primarily record financial transactions, while accountants take a broader role by analyzing these records, generating reports, and advising on financial strategy. Understanding the difference can help you decide what kind of financial professional fits your needs best.

Here are a few of the typical responsibilities of an accountant:

• Preparing and examining financial records
• Ensuring records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time
• Assessing financial operations and making best-practices recommendations to management
• Suggesting ways to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and improve profits
• Providing auditing services for businesses and individuals
• Advising on tax strategies and preparing tax returns
• Helping clients comply with legal and regulatory requirements

Benefits of Hiring an Accountant

Choosing to hire an accountant can transform the way your business operates, offering benefits that go beyond simple number crunching.

Expert Financial Advice

Accountants provide expert advice on how to handle financial matters, making them invaluable for strategic planning and decision-making. Their insights can help identify profitable opportunities and avoid financial risks, ensuring the long-term sustainability of your business.

Time Savings

Your accountant will handle all the complex, time-consuming financial management tasks. This saves you time, allowing you to instead focus on core business strategies and growth opportunities.

Compliance and Tax Efficiency

With ever-changing tax laws and compliance regulations, having an accountant ensures that your business adheres to all legal requirements. They can also improve your tax position, potentially saving you a substantial amount of money annually.

What to Look for in an Accountant

When hiring an accountant, you need to consider their qualifications, experience, and how they will fit into your company’s culture.

Skillset and Specialization

The qualified accountant you hire should have a solid understanding of financial reporting and planning, risk management, tax preparation, and compliance. They should be specialized in either corporate finance, public sector finance, or personal finance, depending on your unique needs. You should look for someone with experience in successful strategic decision-making, ensuring that they can bring long-term financial benefits to your business.

Team Dynamics

Your accountant will need to work closely with other departments to gather, manage, and report on financial data. When recruiting an accountant, it’s important to assess their communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and management. You can do this by asking specific behavioral questions or checking their references to see how the candidate performed in team settings.

Accountancy Recruitment: Finding the Right Fit

Are you ready to recruit an accountant? Find out what you need to do to ensure you hire the best accountant for your company:

Know What You Need

Before you start the recruitment process, it’s essential to identify the specific skills and experiences that are crucial for your accountant. This clarity helps in targeting the right candidates and ensures that they can meet your business’s unique financial challenges.

Job Posting and Advertising

Crafting a clear and compelling job description and using the right channels to advertise your vacancy is crucial. It ensures that the position reaches a wide range of qualified candidates, increasing your chances of finding the perfect match.

Screening and Interviews

Screening resumes and conducting thorough interviews are critical steps in the recruitment process. These allow you to assess not only the technical skills and experience of the candidates but also their fit within your company culture.

How Do I Hire an Accountant?

We explain the steps you need to take to hire an accountant, plus how finance recruitment agencies like Tiger Finance can help:

Determine Your Budget

You first need to determine your budget for your accountant role. This will help you determine whether you need a permanent, contract, or temporary accounting professional, depending on what makes the most financial sense for your business.

At Tiger Finance, we’re here to assist you through every step of the accountant hiring process.

Evaluate Credentials and Experience

Candidates with experience in your specific industry can also be beneficial as this means they will understand the unique challenges and opportunities your business may face.

At Tiger Finance, we can assist you in evaluating the credentials and experience of potential candidates. We have access to a broad network of highly qualified and vetted accountants. Our team of specialist recruiters can guide you through the process of matching the right credentials and experience with your specific business needs.

Onboarding and Training

Once you have chosen your accountant, proper onboarding and training are essential to integrate them into your business smoothly. This ensures they understand your business processes and financial practices, setting them up for success in their new role.

Tiger Finance is committed to creating a long-lasting relationship with each of our clients. That means we don’t stop once we have sourced you a candidate. Whether we help you with accountant recruitment or hiring a financial planner, we will provide aftercare to ensure you are always supported while you integrate your new member into your team.

Cost to Hire an Accountant

Fee Structures

Accountants can be compensated through various fee structures, including salaries, hourly rates, fixed fees, or a retainer basis. The fees they charge will depend on whether it is corporate finance recruitment, public sector recruitment, or personal finance recruitment, impacting the nature of the work and the level of expertise required.

Cost vs. Value

Hiring an accountant can seem costly, but it’s important to consider the value they bring. An experienced accountant can save your business money in the long run through efficient tax strategies and financial management. This can quickly outweigh the expense of your accountant.

Negotiating Terms

Negotiating terms with an accountant helps control costs by agreeing on a fee structure that fits your budget. It ensures that the scope of services is clearly defined, preventing overcharges for unnecessary services. This flexibility allows for adjustments in services and fees based on your business’s changing needs.

Tips for Successful Accountancy Recruitment

It can be frustrating to go through a lengthy recruitment process only to discover that the accountant you’ve hired isn’t the right fit for your business. To avoid this, we have some tips to ensure your accountant recruitment is a success:

Networking

Networking can be a powerful way to enhance your accountant recruitment process. By attending industry seminars or engaging on platforms like LinkedIn, you can connect with qualified accountants. These networks provide access to a broader pool of talent and increase your chances of finding the right fit for your company.

Continuous Learning and Development

Highlighting continuous learning and development in your company can attract top accountants who value career growth. This emphasis on professional advancement makes your business more appealing to skilled candidates looking for long-term opportunities, helping attract high-quality talent.

Performance Reviews and Feedback

Performance reviews and feedback from your current accounting team can help refine your recruitment process. These insights can help you identify the skills and personal qualities that suit your company, helping you tailor job descriptions and selection criteria. Feedback can also reveal skill gaps in your team, ensuring you focus on candidates who can fill these specific needs. You can also use this step if you’re looking to learn how to recruit a finance director.

Why Tiger Finance?

Tiger Finance specializes in recruiting best-in-class accountants. Our recruiters have extensive experience and deep market understanding to ensure that we fill your roles with top financial talent. We’ve worked with SMEs to large corporations, offering tailored recruitment solutions that meet the unique needs of your business. If you’re looking to recruit for other finance roles, such as a financial controller or a finance business partner, please get in touch to see how we can help.

Hire an Accountant with Tiger Finance

Hire a perfectly matched accountant with Tiger Finance. Our expert recruiters have an extensive network and sourcing tools to find the best candidates for your needs. Whether you’re looking for a contract-based or permanent accountant, our accountancy recruitment service is ready to meet your requirements.

Get in touch today to kickstart your accountant recruitment.

The post Hire an Accountant: The Essential Guide appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Hiring a finance director is essential for any organization looking to enhance its financial management and strategic planning. They will bring financial leadership, expert insights, and strategic vision to your business, ensuring you can handle any economic challenges and take any growth opportunities.

In this guide, we explain how to recruit a finance director, helping you secure the perfect candidate to drive your company’s financial success.

What is a Finance Director?

A finance director is a senior executive responsible for overseeing your company’s financial operations. They will typically hold a seat on the company board, working closely with other senior leaders to align financial goals with overall business objectives. Their role involves strategic planning, risk management, and ensuring the long-term financial stability of your business.

They are often confused with financial controllers. A financial controller handles the day-to-day financial operations, including accounting, reporting, and compliance. The director typically has a broader, more strategic outlook. Both roles are crucial, but it’s important to know what you need before looking into how to hire a financial controller or director.

Key Duties of a Finance Director

Before you hire a finance director, it’s important to understand their key duties. This ensures you’re hiring the right person for the role.

Their duties are extensive and can vary depending on the specific needs of your business. Here are their main responsibilities:

• Overseeing financial planning and analysis.
• Developing long-term financial strategies.
• Establishing and managing budgets and financial forecasts.
• Ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
• Supervising financial reporting and audits.
• Identifying and preventing financial risks.
• Advising on investments and financial decisions.
• Leading the finance team.
• Ensuring professional development within the finance team.

Essential Skills and Qualifications

To hire the best director for your business, you need to know what skills and qualifications to look for during the candidate screening process.

Certifications

A candidate will typically have a degree in finance or accounting. A strong candidate typically holds additional certifications, such as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Candidates may also have advanced degrees like a Master of Business Administration (MBA), which enables them to bring valuable insights to the role.

Experience Level

Experience is crucial when selecting a director. Look for candidates with at least five years of experience in financial management, ideally within your industry. They should also have a record of successfully leading financial teams and implementing strategic financial plans.

Expertise

Look for candidates who are skilled in financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting. They should also be experts in financial software and have a deep understanding of regulatory compliance and risk management.

Soft skills are equally important in this role. Your director should have excellent leadership abilities to manage, motivate, and develop the finance team. Strong communication skills are crucial for conveying complex financial information clearly to stakeholders. Strategic thinking is also critical for ensuring your business is a success.

Importance of a Finance Director in an Organization

You might already have a great team of accountants and financial analysts and wonder if you need a director. A finance director is an essential role as they bring valuable strategic insight and leadership that can take your financial operations to the next level.

Here are some key benefits that show why this is an important role to fill:

Strategic Financial Management

A director ensures your company’s financial health is monitored and managed strategically. They provide expert oversight of financial planning and analysis, helping you make informed business decisions. This financial insight keeps your organization competitive and financially stable.

Risk Management

This role plays an important part in managing risks for your business. They identify potential financial risks and develop strategies to prevent them, such as credit or interest rate risks. This proactive approach protects your company from unexpected financial challenges.

Credibility and Compliance

A finance director enhances the credibility of your financial reports. Their expertise in compliance and reporting reassures investors, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies about the accuracy of the reports. They also ensure all reports are completed on time and meet regulatory standards, maintaining a positive reputation for your business.

Broad Impact

A finance director will manage the entire financial strategy of your organization. Compared to a finance business partner, who focuses on specific departments, a director has a wider reach across all financial aspects of the business. Both roles are important, but a director has a broader strategic impact.

They also have a more complex role than an accountant. If you need tasks like bookkeeping and tax preparation done, you will hire an accountant. If you need strategic planning and financial leadership, a finance director is the right person for the job.

How to Recruit a Finance Director

The director you choose will play a crucial role in your business, making the recruitment process vital. Finance recruitment agencies are helpful because they have access to a broad talent pool and know how to find the right candidates. They can save you time and ensure you hire the best person for your business needs and culture.

If you prefer to handle the recruitment yourself, here are the steps to follow:

1. Crafting the Job Description

A clear job description is essential for attracting the right candidates to your role. It should outline the role’s responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications, helping potential candidates understand if they are a good fit. This will help save you time by ensuring only suitable applicants apply, reducing your screening process.

Here’s what to include in a job description for a finance director:

• Key responsibilities and duties
• Required qualifications and certifications
• Essential skills and experience
• Company background and culture
• Reporting structure and team details
• Expected performance metrics
• Salary range and benefits

A job description differs from a job advertisement. The job description provides detailed information about the role’s responsibilities and requirements. A job advertisement is a shorter, more engaging summary designed to attract candidates to apply.

2. Identifying Ideal Candidates

Once your job description is ready, you can post it on job boards or your company’s website. You can also send it to a finance recruitment agency, who will help find and screen potential candidates for you.

Alongside posting your job description, you can actively source ideal candidates to approach. This proactive strategy helps you find qualified professionals who may not be actively job hunting. Use professional networks, LinkedIn, and industry events to identify and reach out to these candidates.

3. Screening and Shortlisting Candidates

Once you have a list of candidates, the screening process can begin. This is when you will review each candidate’s resume and cover letter to assess their qualifications and experience. Look for red flags like missing qualifications, irrelevant experience, or poorly written resumes to quickly narrow down your list to the most promising candidates.

4. Conducting Effective Interviews

The next step in the recruitment process is conducting interviews. This is your chance to talk with each shortlisted candidate and get a deeper understanding of their qualifications, experience, skills, and how they present themselves.

For the interviews to be effective, you need to prepare the right questions to ask the candidate. There are questions you should always ask in an interview, but you will also need to create tailored questions that are relevant to the role and your business. For example, you might ask how they have managed financial risks in the past or how they approach financial planning.

You also need to use the interview to assess how well they would fit into your company culture. A good cultural fit is crucial for long-term success and job satisfaction, which can save you from having to repeat the hiring process. Ask about their leadership style and teamwork, paying close attention to their communication style.

5. Assessing Competencies and Aptitude

After the interviews, you can ask the remaining candidates to complete competency-based assessments. You might include assessments such as financial modeling exercises, case studies on risk management, or strategic planning tasks. These tests can provide insight into their analytical skills and capabilities so that you can confidently select a candidate who will excel in the role.

6. Checking References and Backgrounds

Before you make a final decision, you will need to check the candidate’s references and background. Reach out to former employers to verify the candidate’s work history and performance. Use this as an opportunity to ask specific questions about their strengths and areas for improvement.

It’s also best practice to ensure that the candidate has a clean financial and legal background. This helps maintain the integrity of your business’s financial operations and reputation.

7. Making the Job Offer

This is a critical stage of the recruitment process. You must make the best job offer so you can secure your ideal candidate.

To make the best job offer, include comprehensive details about the salary, benefits, and any additional perks. Clearly outline the job responsibilities, the reporting structure, and performance expectations. This transparency helps the candidate understand exactly what to expect and makes your offer more attractive.

It’s important to be open to negotiation during this stage. Your candidate may have specific requests or conditions that need to be met. Being flexible and willing to discuss these aspects can help you get the candidate you want.

8. Onboarding and Integration

After the candidate accepts the offer, focus on their onboarding and integration. Begin with a thorough orientation to introduce them to your company, their team, and their role. Make sure they have all the tools, resources, and training they need to get started.

Integration is key to helping your new finance director feel welcome and become productive quickly. Schedule regular check-ins and encourage open communication to address any questions or concerns. This support will help them adjust to your company culture and align with your goals.

Retaining Your Finance Director

Now that you know how to hire a finance director, it’s important to focus on retaining them. Losing a director can disrupt your business and lead to costly and time-consuming recruitment efforts.

Here are some tips to ensure your director stays long-term:

Competitive Compensation

You should regularly review and adjust their salary and benefits to ensure you are keeping up with industry standards. This will help keep your director satisfied and less likely to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Professional Development

Providing opportunities for professional development will benefit both the director and your business. You can encourage your director to attend conferences, pursue certifications, and stay updated with industry trends.

Positive Work Environment

Focus on creating a positive and supportive environment to help enhance their job satisfaction. You can do this by formally acknowledging any impressive contributions, providing constructive feedback, and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration.

How to Recruit a Finance Director with Tiger Finance

Tiger Finance specializes in recruiting top-tier finance professionals. Our team of experts, extensive network, and deep industry knowledge enable us to identify and attract the best candidates for your specific needs.

We handle every step of the finance director recruitment process, from crafting job descriptions to conducting interviews and reference checks. By partnering with us, you will find a director who is highly qualified and a perfect fit for your company’s culture and goals.

Ready to hire your next finance director? Fill in our request form today to start your search.

The post How To Recruit a Finance Director appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Hiring a finance business partner (FBP) has become essential for businesses of all sizes. An FBP will bridge the gap between your departments, using their financial expertise and data-gathering skills to provide strategic recommendations for your business. Without an FBP, making data-driven decisions becomes difficult, leaving your business open to financial risks.

In this guide, we will explain what the role of a finance business partner is and provide a step-by-step process for hiring one for your business.

What is a Finance Business Partner?

A finance business partner is a senior advisor who works closely with various departments within a company to provide financial insights and support strategic decision-making. They analyze financial data to help your business plan and achieve its goals. To be successful in this role, the FBP must have strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex financial information clearly.

Responsibilities of a Finance Business Partner

Finance business partners are involved in various aspects of financial management and strategic planning. Below are some key areas where FBPs add value to your organization:

Strategic Planning and Analysis

An FBP will play an important role in your business’s strategic planning. They will analyze financial data, market trends, and business performance to identify any opportunities or risks. They will then present their data-driven recommendations to your senior management to guide the future direction of your business.

Budgeting and Forecasting

An FBP will help you create effective budgets that ensure your company’s spending aligns with its strategic goals. They will collaborate with the different departments and utilize the gathered data to set realistic financial targets. This collaborative process ensures that every part of your business is working towards the same financial objectives.
FBPs will also prepare financial forecasts to predict future performance based on historical data, market trends, and business assumptions. This accurate forecasting can help you plan for various scenarios and make any necessary adjustments to ensure your business remains competitive.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

Keeping your finger on the pulse of your business’s performance allows you to make informed decisions and quickly address any issues before they turn into major problems. An FBP will handle this for you by regularly tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and compiling their findings into performance reports. These reports provide you with clear insights into your company’s financial health and highlight any areas that require attention.

Decision Support and Advisory

FBPs act as advisors to your management. They use their financial expertise to evaluate the potential impact of various business decisions, including strategic initiatives, investments, and operational changes. They will then present their findings to help management understand the potential risks and benefits of different decisions.

Let’s say your business is considering expanding into a new market. Your FBP will analyze this business decision by looking at the costs, potential revenue, and financial implications of this expansion. You can then make a sound decision whether entering the new market is worth the potential risks or rewards.

Risk Management and Compliance

FBPs help minimize the impact of potential risks on your company’s financial health. To do this, they will analyze market risks, operational risks, and compliance risks. If any risks are identified, the FBP will develop strategies that ensure you avoid any financial impacts or legal issues.

How to Hire a Finance Business Partner

If you’re ready to bring an FBP’s strategic insights and effective risk management into your business, follow our step-by-step hiring process:

1. Identifying the Need for a Finance Business Partner

The first step in hiring an FBP is identifying your business’s needs. This will typically depend on the size of your business, your current challenges, and your future plans.

• Large Corporations: In large corporations, you often need detailed financial analysis, strategic planning, and effective resource allocation across multiple departments. An FBP helps manage these complex financial operations and supports your long-term business strategies.
• SMEs: As a small or medium-sized enterprise, you might need help with budgeting, financial forecasting, and improving overall financial performance. An FBP will have the expertise to streamline your financial processes and ensure sustainable growth.
• Startups: If you’re running a startup, you typically need assistance with cash flow management, fundraising strategies, and financial forecasting. An FBP can assist with risk management and accurate forecasting, ensuring your business is ready to scale.

Once you have identified your specific needs, you can then develop a clear job description. This should outline the key responsibilities required for the role to help attract the right candidates for your business.

2. Essential Qualifications and Experience

To ensure your business benefits from hiring an FBP, you need to look for candidates with the right qualifications. The candidate should have a degree in finance or accounting, with additional certifications.

They should also have a minimum of three years of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and financial analysis. Selecting candidates who have worked with businesses of similar size or within your industry ensures they can understand your specific needs and offer valuable insights.

3. Competencies and Soft Skills to Look For

FBPs need certain skills to succeed in their role and contribute to your organization’s success. Look for candidates with strong analytical skills who can interpret complex financial data and provide actionable insights. They should also have a solid understanding of financial modeling and forecasting.

Effective communication is another important skill to look for. FBPs need to present financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders to ensure they can support strategic decisions. Other important soft skills include problem-solving, teamwork, and the ability to work under pressure.

4. Interviewing and Selection Process

Once you have a shortlist of candidates with the right certifications, experience, and skills, you can begin the interview process. When interviewing an FBP, it’s important to include the key stakeholders that they will be working with. This can include any department heads and senior members of the finance team, such as the finance director or financial controller. This can help you determine the candidate’s ability to collaborate across different departments.

You will need to prepare questions to ask the candidate during the interview. These questions should assess the candidate’s technical abilities and their soft skills. For example, you can ask them to explain a complex financial concept, such as cash flow forecasting, while also paying attention to how they describe this information to the non-financial interviewers.

Once you’ve identified the right candidate for your business, it’s time to make them an offer. The offer you make needs to reflect their experience level and the value you expect them to bring to your company.

5. Integrating a Finance Business Partner into Your Team

The work doesn’t stop once your chosen candidate has signed their employment agreement. Ensuring they are seamlessly integrated into your team is crucial for their success and retention. A well-structured onboarding program can facilitate this process and help them hit the ground running.

A comprehensive onboarding program should include an introduction to your company’s financial systems and processes. Offering training on your company’s specific financial software and reporting practices will enable them to perform their role effectively from day one. You should also schedule meetings with all department heads and senior management to kickstart the collaboration.

Challenges in Finance Business Partner Hiring

Hiring an FBP can come with certain challenges. FBPs need to work closely with various departments, which can have their own goals and communication styles. If there are any misunderstandings or collaboration blockers, this can impact the FBP’s ability to perform their role effectively. To prevent this, ensure clear communication channels and regular meetings are established from the start.

Another common challenge for FBPs is keeping up with industry trends and best practices. The financial landscape is constantly evolving, and an FBP must stay current to provide valuable insights. You can support your FBP by providing access to continuous learning and professional development to ensure they stay up to date.

In certain cases, businesses misidentify their needs and mistakenly hire an FBP when they actually need an accountant. This error can be a significant setback, leading to frustration for both the business and the FBP. If your primary need is for transactional tasks like bookkeeping and basic financial reporting, it’s better to hire an accountant from the start.

Hire a Finance Business Partner with Tiger Finance

Tiger Finance is a specialist finance recruitment agency with the experience and expertise to find the right finance business partner for your organization. Our recruitment process is thorough and tailored to meet your specific needs. We will support you along every step of the hiring process, from candidate sourcing to salary guidance to effective integration.

Fill in our request form to partner with our professional finance business partner recruiters.

The post What is a Finance Business Partner? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Finding the right private staff for your household or family office goes beyond assessing skills and experience. It’s just as important to ensure they align with your lifestyle, household dynamics, and expectations. That’s why many private employers choose a temp-to-perm (TTP) hiring model—allowing them to trial a candidate before offering a permanent contract. A survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found that nearly 50% of temporary workers transitioned to permanent positions within the organizations they were assigned to, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in securing committed employees.

Why Choose TTP for Private Staff?

Ensure the Right Fit

A trial period lets you assess how a staff member integrates with your household, interacts with existing staff, and handles responsibilities before making a long-term commitment.

Flexibility Without the Admin Burden

If a candidate isn’t the right match, you can adjust your staffing needs quickly. As your Employer of Record, we handle payroll, HR administration, and compliance, meaning you avoid the complexities of setting up contracts, taxes, and benefits.

Adjust Working Hours as Needed

Hiring on a temporary basis allows you to fine-tune schedules and workloads before committing to a full-time hire. Whether it’s determining the required hours for a housekeeper or trialing a private PA’s support level, TTP hiring provides valuable flexibility.

Quick Replacements When Needed

If a candidate isn’t the right fit, we can provide an alternative, ensuring minimal disruption to your household or family office operations.

Key Roles That Benefit from a TTP Approach

Housekeepers

A housekeeper plays a vital role in maintaining a home’s cleanliness and organization, but every household has different standards and preferences. A trial period allows you to assess:

• Their attention to detail and ability to meet household expectations.
• How well they integrate with existing staff and daily routines.
• Their level of discretion and professionalism in a private setting.

Butlers

A butler is responsible for a household’s formal service, front-of-house management, and guest hospitality. The right fit depends on factors like:

• Experience with formal service protocols or specific household traditions.
• Ability to manage staff, oversee events, and cater to personal preferences.
• Adaptability to the household’s pace, lifestyle, and guests.

Private Chefs

Food is deeply personal, and hiring a private chef requires more than just reviewing a CV. A TTP approach allows you to:

• Ensure their cooking style aligns with your family’s dietary needs and tastes.
• Assess their ability to plan menus, source ingredients, and adapt to preferences.
• Determine if their personality and discretion suit your household.

Nannies

Hiring a nanny is one of the most personal staffing decisions for any household. A trial period helps ensure:

• Their childcare approach aligns with your parenting style.
• They build a strong and comfortable bond with your children.
• Their schedule and adaptability work within your household’s routine.

Private PAs

A Private PA manages personal affairs, travel, and household administration, requiring a high level of trust and efficiency. A TTP period allows you to:

• Test their ability to manage sensitive information discreetly.
• Assess their efficiency in organizing schedules, handling logistics, and coordinating with other staff.
• Ensure their communication style aligns with your expectations.

By opting for a TTP arrangement, you gain peace of mind, flexibility, and ease of hiring – all without the administrative burden of payroll and compliance.

For more information on hiring private staff on a TTP basis, contact us today.

The post The Benefits of Hiring Private Staff on a Temp-to-Perm Basis appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

As we move into 2025, the U.S. recruitment market is showing several positive trends that create ideal conditions for employers looking to grow their teams.

Key factors driving this favorable environment include:

1. Availability of Candidates Post-Bonus Season

With the conclusion of the fiscal year, many organizations have disbursed their annual bonuses. In 2024, the average end-of-year bonus’ increased by 2%, compared to 2023. Employees who have received bonuses now feel more financially secure, giving them more freedom to explore new opportunities. This financial cushion can make them more open to considering a career move, especially if they feel they’ve hit a plateau in their current role or if their job no longer aligns with their long-term goals. Additionally, employees who received a bonus might also see this as a natural break point for evaluating their position within their organization, making it an ideal time to seek new challenges or roles that better match their aspirations.

2. Expanded Talent Pool Due to 2024 Workforce Changes

Economic fluctuations in 2024 led certain sectors to adjust their workforce strategies. As of February 2025, the U.S. unemployment rate stands at 4.1%, with 7.1 million individuals unemployed, indicating a stable yet available labor force. This means that while most people are employed, a significant number of professionals are either actively seeking new roles, transitioning between jobs, or facing challenges in securing the right position.

3. Stabilization of Salary Growth

The rapid salary inflation observed in previous years has moderated. For instance, in the investment banking sector, managing directors at elite boutique banks earned an average of over $1.7 million in 2024, a 68% increase from 2023, reflecting a stabilization in compensation trends.

The moderation of salary inflation allows employers to better manage compensation budgets and offer competitive yet sustainable pay packages. This creates an opportunity to attract top talent without overpaying, while focusing on other benefits to enhance employee retention. Employers can plan more effectively, reducing financial strain and minimizing turnover.

4. Positive Hiring Outlook

Employer sentiment remains optimistic, with many planning to expand their workforce in 2025. This confidence is bolstered by a resilient labor market, characterized by low hiring and firing rates, and a lack of churn, suggesting stability in employment trends. Companies are feeling more secure in their growth strategies, knowing the market is stable and that skilled professionals are actively seeking new opportunities.

The current U.S. recruitment market offers a strategic window for employers to attract and secure top talent. The combination of a refreshed candidate pool, stabilized salary expectations, and a positive economic outlook underscores the advantages of initiating hiring processes at this juncture.

Looking to hire in the US? Speak to a specialised consultant today.

The post What Employers Should Expect from the 2025 U.S. Recruitment Market appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of contents

• What is quiet quitting?
• Hustle culture backlash
• Work-life balance
• How to retain talent
• Quiet firing and quiet quitting, which came first?
• Why you shouldn’t stay silent about quiet quitting

What is quiet quitting?

On the surface, ‘quiet quitting’ may seem to be an overplayed talking point in the echo chamber of social media, but it’s clearly struck a nerve with a lot of people, and so needs to be taken seriously.

To make sense of the phenomenon it’s important to understand where the recent upsurge originated from. Quiet quitting has been thought to be a descendant of the 2021 counterculture protest in China called ‘Tang Ping’, which translates to ‘lie flat’.

Tang ping was a resistant movement to the overworking pressures and rat race culture influenced by the 996 model, where employees were working 9am-9pm six days a week. The 72 hour a week pattern, although illegal in China, was largely normalised in the workplace.

Quiet quitting, the successor of the tang ping revolt, has been widely featured in an outbreak of news across many publications, with TikTok at the heart of the noise. Part of the escalation of this trend no doubt comes from the catchy, provocative phrase, but the name quiet quitting is very misleading – as it’s not about employees quitting their jobs.

Quiet quitting is to remain in one’s job without performing above and beyond, while avoiding duties that potentially exceed the realms of their position or job description. Some people, weighing in on the debate around the term, have compared quiet quitting to simply just doing one’s job, while others have correlated quiet quitting with doing the bare minimum.

Hustle culture backlash

The exploitation of employees through overwork and unrealistic expectations is a very real problem, and one that should be tackled head-on. Since the pandemic, workers from all industries have been far more vocal against hustle culture. This has led to some fantastic progress in terms of work-life balance, mental health, and workplace benefits. Such positive change was possible thanks to employees speaking frankly and honestly with their employers, setting boundaries they could both agree on. So why go quiet now?

The silent resistance has opened the gateways on think-piece publications, with many associating quiet quitting with the term ‘acting your wage’. The idea is that people are rejecting the notion to improve their performance or the scope of their role if that exceeds their wage bracket. This turn of phrase has encouraged further conversations around the generation pay gap, where historically those on minimum wage were able to afford a better lifestyle in relation to the cost of living compared to now. With inflation and the current cost of living crisis reaching crisis-level for those on lower wages, the movement has gained more traction and, what appears to be, more followers.

We urge people who feel financially stretched by their current wage to do their research into salaries in similar job positions and to arrange a pay review with their employer. There are several ways you can prepare to ask for a pay rise confidently, easing the fear many associate with this process.

Of course, for some self-confessed quiet quitters, it’s not so much their wage that’s pushed them to reduce their efforts. Rather, they feel burnt out or underappreciated, which has led them to become disconnected from the role itself, no longer feeling engaged or driven to do more than required.

Burnout is a very legitimate issue that often goes unnoticed in the lens of everyday life. Having the available knowledge to prevent burnout is an important part of managing your work-life balance, and is something that you should be mindful of if you work in, or employ those, in high-pressure positions.

There is often an unspoken expectation, particularly for employees in entry to mid-level roles, where exposure to experience and learning somehow negates an increase in pay or overtime. Many have been outspoken on how this ‘something for nothing’ behaviour is an outdated system and no longer puts staff in good stead of a promotion and better salary. With evidence of less promotions and slowed career progression in recent years, due to an unpredictable economic climate, it is not necessarily a shock that some employees might be growing dissatisfied at work.

If you feel like it’s time for a change and new opportunities for growth, it could be time to reignite your career as, after all, being engaged in the workplace makes for much better mental health than battling through an unsatisfying and unstimulating 9-5.

Work-life balance

A healthy work-life balance is something we encourage everyone to seek, but if you do this ‘quietly’, i.e., you don’t express to your employer the boundaries you’ve set for yourself, all they will see is an employee that seems distant or unengaged. They may even believe that this contained approach reflects your maximum output, which puts your job, and any later jobs you may apply for, in a precarious position. For how could a previous employer give a strong reference if they’ve never seen your peak performance?

The rise of quiet quitting has coincided with a wave of ‘self-worth’ information on TikTok. The consensus from these types of posts is that the lines are often blurred between the value you attribute to yourself in your professional life and your personal one. It suggests that by detaching these two identities, you will allow yourself to become content with a mediocre performance in your work life. Even with the strategic aid of mental separation, embracing a lacklustre attitude could be a hinderance to your own progression and self-esteem outside of the office.

Yes, you may give yourself more time for your family, friends and passions, but being apathetic at work is likely to upset your mental wellbeing, and sometimes ease can be a greater threat than hardship. Why not strive for a career that truly engages you and inspires your best work?

Our specialist consultants are experts in matching your skills, experience and interests to your next position. So, if you’re ready to find a job that rekindles your love for work, and leaves you energised for your down-time, submit your details today.

How to retain talent

With the ‘great resignation’ still an ongoing issue, many businesses are rightly concerned by the clamour around quiet quitting. They may be looking at employee productivity, trying to work out if any of their staff have been caught up in the trend, and how they can put a stop to it.

For these employers, it’s crucial that you don’t point fingers or call it laziness, but instead look at how you could improve conditions for your employees. Rise and grind culture is so prevalent that even the most progressive companies can suffer from overworked staff, just by trying to stay competitive.

Disengaged employees tend to be the victim of being overworked without company support and benefits. Benefits don’t have to be a financial strain on the company, and when it comes to retaining employees, they could very well be a deal breaker. You can keep employees happy without spending money with simple techniques that may even improve productivity at work.

That being said, promotions and employee incentives can’t be undervalued. Recognising when an employee is deserving of a promotion is just as paramount to whether an employee decides to quietly quit or quit altogether. Loosing valuable employees may feel like something that can’t be avoided, but by implementing a considered retention strategy you are likely to move closer to a more stable team.

Furthermore, paving the way for positive morale in the workplace not only makes for loyal and committed staff, but also a rise in productivity, as workers feel better connected to colleagues and what they’re collaboratively trying to achieve. As an employer steering the ship in a fast-paced workforce, it can be overwhelming to say the least, but making time for morale boosting exercises is possible without financial implications to the business.

Communication is of course, central to all of these strategies and approaches. By creating an environment where employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns and desires, a business can continually adjust benefits and office conditions to create the perfect culture for top performance. This show of good faith to a workforce is highly likely to be reciprocated, and you’ll find that employees will go above and beyond without even being asked. After all, a happy workforce is a productive one!

It’s always been seen as an implicit rule that to hold a steady job, you’ll need to go the extra mile, often without recognition or increased salary. But as reiterated above, employees are increasingly getting impatient with this concept and are simply calling it outdated and not ‘good enough’. Setting competitive salaries that match industry standards should be your first point of call. You can pre-order Tiger’s 2023 Salary and Benefits Review here.

Quiet quitting is an understandable attempt by some to fight back against what they see as unfair expectations, but by being equally unspoken, they could miss the chance to affect real change. Employers must encourage their employees to engage in conversations about the state of the workplace, without the fear of consequences.

Quiet firing and quiet quitting, which came first?

‘Quiet firing’ is just as misleading as quiet quitting. Employers are not outright firing their staff, just like quiet quitters are not actually quitting their jobs. Instead, employers are intentionally creating a work environment that is hostile enough for an employee to resign.

We strongly discourage employers to quiet fire their staff, as it risks professional reputation and creates a toxic work atmosphere. But unfortunately, it’s more common than people care to admit. It begs the question, why are employers quiet firing?

There are a multitude of possible causes to the problem, but when it comes to quiet firing, it all starts with the hiring process. At Tiger, we emphasise the importance of hiring the right candidate who is not only capable of excelling within the job, but is also the right character and fit for the team and values of the business. Read our employer’s guide to interview and selection.

After you’ve hired a suitable candidate, it’s essential to set realistic expectations of what they can accomplish, which may be heavily reliant on the handover and training process. For those selected for a role with less experience, finding what their interests are and nurturing their talent is just as important as capitalising on their strengths.

Why you shouldn’t stay silent about quiet quitting

With the heavy opinions from all angles around quiet quitting, it can be difficult to break through the noise and to reach a conclusion on how to tackle the issue in the workplace. Although quiet quitting is a new buzzword with varying definitions, it is clear that disengaged or unhappy employees should not remain stagnant in a situation that may be damaging to their own mental health, and which could have a knock-on effect on several levels.

It is clear that the quiet quitting trend is encouraging a divide in the workplace. In fact, the use of the term highlights one of the biggest roadblocks to a good relationship between both employers and employees – communication.

As a bridge between both sides, we’ve seen first-hand, the importance of communication at work from the earliest stages of the hiring process. We’ve seen how open, transparent discussion can lead to excellent workplace cultures and boosted productivity. This latest trend shouldn’t be an excuse for both sides to be at loggerheads, but should be an opportunity to work together towards meaningful change.

The post What is quiet quitting? The quiet trend with a lot of noise appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Often a freelancer or contractor, virtual assistants (VAs) can take repetitive or time-consuming admin tasks off your hands, freeing up vital time for your top-level priorities. VAs are particularly effective as support for project work, as they can be brought in for short term projects at short notice, reducing the costs associated with onboarding.

Thanks to high-performing communication technology, VAs offer a cost-effective alternative to the traditional PA role, providing much of the same assistance, but without the need for an extra desk or the expenses of a full-time employee.

How a Virtual PA could be the ideal solution for you

Personal assistants are a life saver for executives and managers the world over, but not every business is lucky enough to be able to accommodate them. Perhaps you’ve downsized your office and don’t have room, or you’re an entrepreneur without the budget for an in-house PA.

Regardless of the size of your operation, there is often a need for assistance across a range of admin tasks – this is where a VA can be invaluable.

What does a virtual assistant do?

If you were to write a virtual assistant job description, it would share many of the same tasks as one for a personal assistant. Many VAs come from a PA background, and so are already very skilled in similar duties, such as:

• Travel booking
• Diary management
• Database management
• Expenses
• Preparing briefs and presentations

But that’s not all. The technology that allows VAs to work remotely is constantly evolving and improving, to the point where there are very few tasks they couldn’t do effectively. So the answer to ‘what does a virtual assistant do’ is changing all the time, and is limited only by the software they can access.

Differences between a VA and a PA

Having said that, there remain some distinct differences between virtual assistants and personal assistants.

Having an assistant with you in person and in the office allows them to take care of the inevitable physical paperwork any business produces. A PA will typically be involved in incoming and outgoing deliveries, filing documents, preparing meeting rooms, and the occasional personal errand (ever needed a last-minute gift for a forgotten birthday?)

A virtual assistant can’t be expected to cover these tasks, but they do have heightened expertise in other areas. Working remotely and without quick access to IT support requires serious tech know-how from a VA. Their computer and software literacy can be a valuable leg up for their manager and the wider team, who perhaps won’t know of certain online tools that could help boost performance.

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Virtual employees, as a staffing solution, are growing in popularity thanks to the flexible working model, and the option is well worth exploring if your business has limited office space, or needs short-term support. Whatever the situation, our consultants are available to help, so be sure to get in touch with your requirements.

If you’ve hired your first virtual staff member, be sure to read our advice on onboarding remotely, as well as our tips on how to manage a remote team.

Looking for a virtual job, or in need of some virtual assistance? Register with us today to see how Tiger Virtual can help!

The post What is a virtual assistant? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

If you’re in a personal assistant job, you may have considered moving into a more flexible role. Flexible working has been increasing in popularity for a number of years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the idea of hybrid working to mainstream attention.

It’s not hard to see why the popularity of working from home is on such a sharp rise. Offering additional flexibility, removing the need to commute and higher levels of productivity, it is often a preferred option for many full-time workers. However, just like any endeavor, working virtually presents its own challenges, not least isolation and overworking. Below, we look at the pros and cons of remote working.

Advantages of remote working

An environment to suit you

One of the most commonly noted benefits of remote working is flexibility. It allows you to adapt your working hours based on your schedule and accommodate tasks that require being at home. It also allows you to adapt your working environment to your needs, changing the lighting, temperature, setting and background noise as needed.

More time, more money

Working from home also reduces the need for a commute, saving time and money and increasing morale – after all, who wants to spend hours traveling to and from work? These time savings can also result in a better work/life balance, as you have more time for maintaining your physical and mental health.

Master your to-do list

From a productivity perspective, virtual workers are reported to get more work done, as meetings become more effective and there are less distractions in the form of co-workers. You may also find you take fewer sick days as a remote worker, as you’re less likely to take a day off for a mild illness. Taking less time off makes it easier to stay on top of your workload and deliver outcomes effectively and efficiently.

Build your self-reliance

There are also opportunities for personal and professional development that come from independent working. Being separate from most people within your company and the influence of your colleagues will force you to become more resourceful and solve problems by yourself. For example, you might be able to do a quick Google search to solve a minor IT problem, rather than approaching the IT department as a first port of call. You might even be able to pick up a few additional skills along the way by watching online tutorials, which can help to boost your professional confidence.

Challenges of remote working

Lack of socializing

Working remotely also has its challenges. For starters, working from home is often isolating and can see you not talking to anyone for hours on end. In line with this, maintaining an employee community and connection to your colleagues can prove difficult. With no way to chat over a cup of tea or check in to see how your colleagues are faring, there are fewer opportunities to connect, engage and build a sense of camaraderie. It also reduces your exposure to the overall company mission and values, as you are removed from the office environment.

No more 9 to 5

Virtual working can make switching off difficult, as the boundaries of working hours may become blurred – is it appropriate to be answering emails at 7pm? According to research from Zapier, remote workers are more likely to overwork, as the lack of the office routine makes it harder to disregard tasks outside of business hours.

This is supported by findings from a report from the UN’s International Labor Organisation (ILO), which found that 42% of regular home workers dealt with insomnia, while 41% suffered from stress. This was attributed to the blurring of boundaries between professional and personal lives and the ease of which workers can complete supplemental tasks outside of traditional working hours.

Losing motivation

For some, working from home also introduces the risk of slacking off or getting distracted. Without your team or managers around you to spur you on, it can become harder to stay engaged, or perhaps that quick home task takes longer than expected, or you’re distracted by a visitor. It also restricts performance monitoring and, in some instances, can increase the danger of being overlooked for promotions and career progression.

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The pros and cons of working from home are highly influenced by personality types; some thrive in a quiet, self-motivated setting, while others work best in the buzz of a busy office. Finding the right balance is important for you to excel in your job and career.

If you’re looking for a remote working role or to transition to a virtual job, Tiger can help, register with us today!

The post The benefits and challenges of working from home appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Five key PA duties explained

If you’re considering a move into a personal assistant job, you’ve come to the right place. Tiger has specialized in securing jobseekers their dream PA role for over two decades, so our understanding of the position is second to none.

PA roles and responsibilities have been highly valued across a number of industries for decades. The future of the PA role may always be evolving along with the many changes in technology and work culture but, at its core, the position remains the same: ensuring the Principal you’re assisting has everything they need to perform at their best. So, how does a personal assistant go about achieving that?

The gatekeeper

The amount of incoming calls and emails they receive will depend on the seniority of your Principal but, regardless, answering these will play a significant role in your PA duties. You will be tasked with filtering out unnecessary distractions and prioritizing inquiries for your Principal to respond to. So, you’ll need excellent verbal and written communication, as well as relationship-management skills when in regular contact with clients and other business partners.

The diary manager

Senior-level staff can jump from meeting to meeting, office to office throughout the day, so naturally it can be difficult for them to remember their schedule. They’ll rely on you as a PA to manage their diary: booking meetings, phone calls, lunches and more, but also ensuring that they have enough downtime to travel or attend to personal tasks.

The travel booker

Management and executive-level staff will often be required to travel nationally or internationally for meetings and conferences. As their PA, it will be your responsibility to arrange everything surrounding these trips including visas, taxis, flights, hotels, meeting rooms and restaurants. Writing a well-planned travel itinerary, as well as the ability to respond quickly and effectively to cancellations, schedule changes and other issues, will make you an invaluable assistant.

The expense manager

Hand-in-hand with arranging travel and accommodation is dealing with expenses. You’ll be entrusted to ensure all bills are correct and paid for on time, and keep an up to date log of these and all other business expenses related to your executive. It’s thus crucial that you have a good head for numbers.

The MS Office wizard

Your manager/executive will regularly be moving between meetings covering different subjects. They may even be giving presentations. A personal assistant will help ease the transition by preparing notes, reports, PowerPoints and other documents for their Principal ahead of time. The best PAs are skilled with a variety of software useful to this task, such as Microsoft Office suite. If you lack confidence in these programs, there are many online courses you can take to get up to speed.

There are many more ad-hoc tasks you’ll be required to undertake as a PA and, alongside mastering these daily PA roles and responsibilities, the most important challenge of a personal assistant job is to learn the preferred working style, rhythms, and quirks of your manager. If you can click with them and march to the same beat, you’ll be able to anticipate potential problems and distractions ahead and clear them from the path, keeping everything running smoothly.

If you’re ready to take the next step and apply for PA roles, submit your details today. And be sure to read our tips for PA interviews to prepare yourself!

If you’re looking to hire a personal assistant yourself, we can also help! Get in touch with your requirements today.

The post What does a Personal Assistant do? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Having an EA job is no walk in the park! As a first step, you must be extremely efficient and be thinking ten steps ahead of your boss. Acting as a second brain for your principals, much of the time you’ll adapt your working style to match theirs. Some may wish you to organize aspects of their personal life, asking you to complete such tasks as paying bills and organizing family vacations, while others may only require professional support.

Be communicative

Communication is absolutely crucial as an EA, but your boss may only like a certain form of communication – email, text, phone call or face-to-face. No matter their preference, ensure that you’re relaying all information back to them. Some bosses like their EAs to attend all meetings with them. If this is the case, it’s crucial to make thorough notes to discuss post-meeting. You’ll then be able to pull them apart and prioritize action points. If it’s a virtual meeting, the advantage is that you’ll be able to record it to refer back to afterwards.

If you do not go to meetings with your boss, suggest sitting down together afterwards to discuss everything that had been touched on. This way, you’ll be constantly in the loop with a good understanding of the situation.

Be resilient

A resilient EA will quickly become an invaluable support to your team. Most of us, at one time or another in our careers, will occasionally be presented with the challenge of dealing with tricky situations and people. These might be clients, managers, time-sensitive projects or make-or-break presentations. EAs, however, see all these regularly – up front and center!

Not taking things personally is a given trait of a great EA, quite simply because they’re so frequently in high-pressure situations and more often than not (rightly or wrongly), on the receiving end of a frustrated individual or team.

Be efficient

It goes without saying that a great EA must be organized! Implement organizational structures into your work and stick to them. By keeping your work life neat and tidy, it will keep your mind clear and ready for all situations. You do not want to get to the point in your day where you urgently need to find documentation and you are struggling to find it in your messy inbox!

Try to organize all of your emails into set folders. Break them down by sender or task and store all correspondence in each folder. Alternatively, there are apps to help automate inbox and diary management, ensuring that all emails are on hand when you need them.

It’s also essential to keep a to-do list. Every time you have a new task come up, think about its priority within your workload, then place it accordingly in your list. This reduces your chances of forgetting something and will help with your time management.

Take on your most difficult and time-consuming tasks at the beginning of the day to minimize stress levels and maximize your standard of work.

Remember, your boss’s efficiency should also be considered. Before asking your boss questions, think about whether you could find the answers another way. By raising unnecessary queries that you could figure out for yourself, you are essentially wasting both yours and your boss’s time. Take a second to think before you speak!

Be proactive

If nothing else, an EA must be proactive. It’s vital that you can stay ahead of your boss, regardless of the situation. On a Monday, review the meetings your boss has this week, ensuring that all requirements, such as notes and rooms, are considered ahead of time. Your first thought should always be ‘what is my boss going to need?’.

There may be a time when they are out of the office or away on vacation, leaving you to manage their affairs. As the first point of contact for clients and contacts, you’ll need to maintain high levels of professionalism to ensure that you are acting exactly as they would do in each situation.

Keep a positive attitude

When recruiting for an executive assistant, we always look for calm and collected individuals who work well under pressure. Not only can the EA role be incredibly stressful at times, but a busy team will look to their EA as a constant. So, a successful EA must be able to approach every situation with a smile, working logically through each problem to find a solution. By keeping calm and staying upbeat, you will be able to complete tasks to a higher standard.

An EA is often required to represent their boss and company either on the telephone, via email or face to face. Therefore, you need to be comfortable engaging in small talk and networking. Whatever the situation, always be polite and courteous! Your boss will expect you to stay positive and have that can-do attitude at all times, as this will also play a huge part in staff morale.

Be self-motivated

When working as an executive assistant, you cannot expect praise every time you complete a task on your to-do list. Self-motivation is key to being able to get on with your workload, so set yourself goals within your working day. Aim to complete a certain number of tasks on your to-do list before you get your next cup of coffee. Working hard may look like it is going unrecognized when your boss is extremely busy, but it is always noticed.

Be discrete

Discretion is one of the all-time top behaviours our clients look for in potential candidates, particularly private PAs. You’ll be exposed to a myriad of personal and professional confidences as an EA, and this unique characteristic will see the best candidates go far in their careers. A gossip might find their credibility is tarnished early on, while those who understand confidentiality will shortly prove themselves to be indispensable.

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The rewards are significant for those EAs who earn their stripes. You’ll strengthen relationships with business leaders, teams and peers whilst simultaneously earning great credibility in professional circles. Our most valued EA candidates, in addition to the financial rewards, will experience great adventures, meet incredible people and even travel the world. While it might take time and experience to reach those milestones, a successful EA will get there.

Looking for an EA job? Tiger Recruitment can help. Submit your details or see our available jobs now.

Looking to hire an EA? Read our guide to hiring an EA, and get in touch with your requirements.

The post The seven traits of a successful executive assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Automation continues to pervade our everyday lives, with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and a multitude of chatbots now commonplace. As this technology continues to rise in popularity, it’s being adopted in the professional space, with everyone from factory workers to CEOs recognizing its potential.

As a PA, you may be having visions of those chirpy AI assistants taking over your role, but fear not – there are plenty of benefits of automation for personal assistants! Here are five ways to take advantage of the technology and start automating processes at work.

1. Inbox management

There are plenty of tools for PAs out there that can filter through inboxes, categorizing emails into different folders and marking them in terms of importance. If needed, they can also send receipts straight to your nominated accounting software, forward tasks straight to to-do lists and even delete unneeded communications. When handling multiple inboxes, it can make maintaining emails easier than ever. Check out these top services:

• Clean Email
• Mailbird
• Boomerang

2. Multi-tasking

Smart browser extensions can coordinate your many different apps and programs, reducing the need for repetitive tasks, and opening up the workflow from one application to another. For example, you could send an important PowerPoint or Excel document in an email, and the attachment will be automatically saved to Dropbox. Project management apps can also be linked – Evernote can be connected to Trello or a Google calendar, meaning there’s no need to repeat notes. Streamline your workflow with these recommendations:

• Zapier
• If This Then That
• Workato

3. Diary management

There are some things that only a human PA or EA can do when it comes to scheduling, but rote tasks such as organising meetings can be offloaded to an automation app.. These programs can find the next available spot in your Principal’s calendar by CC-ing them into an email. Most of these bots are also programed to learn from each experience, meaning that any pre-sets are carried onto the next interaction. Our favorites are:

• Calendly
• Fantastical
• Google Calendar

4. Travel booking

Forget liaising with a travel agent or spending hours on the multiple airline apps to find a spare business class seat – travel booking tools will do your organizing for you, leaving more time for other human-centric tasks. With the potential for personalized results, automatically generated itineraries and a concierge service, they take care of every element for both personal and business travel. Take the stress out of traveling with these apps:

• TravelPerk
• TripIt
• TripActions

5. Minute-taking

Minute-taking may be one of the regular tasks for PAs and EAs, but if the tech world has anything to do with it, it won’t be for much longer. Several apps now exist to automate the entire process, dialing in like a human participant and using speech-to-text technology to take accurate notes. They can also email a copy after the meeting and highlight any actions discussed, ensuring each meeting is of use. Our top picks are:

• Beenote
• Otter.ai
• Sembly

We know that the true value of PAs and executive assistants stems from their soft skills such as empathy, negotiation, diplomacy and personal touch. Automating repetitive and administrative tasks, as part of your role, will ultimately allow those soft skills to shine so that you can take the next step in your career.

Looking for a new PA job or seeking further training? Tiger can help – register today to start your job search!

The post PAs, are you up to speed on the benefits of automation? appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs of a people-first business

Receiving that ‘Congratulations…’ email after weeks of applications, interviews and stress can be a huge rush. You spring out of bed buzzing with energy, get to the office an hour early and work harder than ever, thrilled to have seized this dream role!

But how many of us know where this story is heading? The 9-5 becomes a 7-11, the ‘cool’ boss is at boiling point, and no one else in the office is smiling…

Just like a whirlwind romance, a new job can quickly sour after the honeymoon period. The pandemic prompted a lot of people to rethink their careers and take bold steps to change them. For some, the choice to leave one company for another has proven to be the right one. Others, however, are finding the grass isn’t always greener. In their haste to leave an unfulfilling job, they’ve overlooked the importance of doing in-depth research on a company that looks like a perfect fit.

So, how can you tell if a job opportunity is right for you? Here are some green flags to look for in a prospective employer.

Positive workplace culture

Take a look at any successful company’s website and social media. Chances are you’ll see photos of the team enjoying away days and after-work drinks like a group of old friends. This is a great indicator of a company striving to regularly bring a team together – the importance of which can be forgotten in the current excitement around hybrid and remote working. You may even wish to reach out to your potential colleagues for their own experiences in the office.

Transparent diversity & inclusion initiatives

Many companies have clearly defined policies around Diversity & Inclusion, often available to view on their website. While this is a good start, it’s worth looking at the reality in their team via social media, and by asking questions in the interview process. Reviews from employees on sites like Glassdoor can also be revealing. If there’s a lack of diversity, an honest answer from the interviewers is still a sign of their awareness of the issue.

Good communication and flexibility during the hiring process

Applying and interviewing for jobs is stressful at the best of times, but not hearing a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for weeks at a time can be unbearable. Regular updates from the recruitment team show there is as much respect for the candidate’s time as there is for the company’s. During this back-and-forth it’s also good practice to pay attention to how accommodating they are with interview dates and times. If a company is understanding of prior commitments in your calendar, such as the school run, it’s a good hint at how flexibly it will treat you as an employee.

Clear career progression opportunities

The classic “Where do you see yourself in five years?” could just as easily be countered with “Where do you see me?” While we certainly don’t advise being quite so forward, the point stands that a company needs to be able to show there are real opportunities for you to learn new skills and climb the career ladder beyond the role in question. Examples from its current workforce are the best proof.

Respect for work-life balance

The importance of a healthy work-life balance has been in the spotlight for a while now, encouraging employers to place much more emphasis on it in their job adverts. But this is an easy area for them to fall short in due to our 24hour connectivity and ability to work remotely. In the interviews, be sure to delve into any benefits offered like holiday, flexible hours/days, personal days, life-coaching, and mental health initiatives.

What connects all these positive indicators is the proof that a company acts on its word. If you can see the employer puts its money where its mouth is, or at the very least is transparent in its shortcomings and efforts to amend them, you can rest easy that this is a company with a human approach to business.

If you’re ready to take the next steps in your career evolution, and would like advice and help finding a role and company that will match your principles, submit your resume today.

The post Five signs a company is a great place to work appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

After searching far and wide, you’ve found the ideal personal assistant job to apply for. You have the traits required of a great PA, and you’ve made sure they’re all listed clearly your resume. But before you hit that apply button, there’s one more area that needs close attention if you want to stand out to the hiring manager: the personal statement.

Writing an effective personal statement on your resume can have a substantial impact on your job hunt and the success of your application. It will sum up why you’re the perfect fit for the role, and encourage the employer to read on and see the proof. But it’s not always easy to write.

To help you in this process, we’ve put together a list of tips to give you clarity and confidence when writing the best possible personal statement on your resume.

What do you write in a resume personal statement?

On your resume, the personal statement provides a brief overview to the hiring managers of your character, your ambitions, and what you can offer.

In the case of a personal assistant role, it should of course highlight your relevant skills, experience, and the sectors you’ve specifically worked in. But you should also pay special attention to the personality traits that are so crucial to this role.

Below, you’ll find some more specific guidelines to make a great first impression with your resume summary.

Keep it concise

Your resume personal statement should be brief and to-the-point — ideally three to four lines long. The hiring manager will be interested in learning more about you, but they won’t have time to read a whole biography. Keep it punchy and relevant, and therefore effective.

Focus on readability

Don’t get too creative with your vocabulary — keep it simple!

In an effort to sound different or knowledgeable by using very sophisticated words, the risk is that your personal statement will be hard to read. The tone should be professional, but when it comes to the choice of words, sometimes less is more.

Don’t forget to dot the i’s and cross the t’s

You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make grammar mistakes when writing a personal statement on a resume.  When the goal is to keep it concise and simple, you may feel there’s no need for a grammar check, but it’s always best practice to proof-read. It might also be worth using a tool like Grammarly for extra help.

In conclusion

The goal of your personal statement, when applying for a PA role, is to spark the interviewer’s interest in those first few lines. If you can grab their attention early, they will be more likely to read your full resume and offer you an initial interview. Focusing on the above points will go a long towards achieving this.

Are you not registered with us yet? Submit your details here and let us help you find the perfect personal assistant role!

The post How to write a personal assistant resume profile appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Preparing for a job interview can be a daunting experience, especially in a highly competitive job market.

So how do you stand out from the competition? To help you make a great first impression and optimize your chances of acing the interview and securing your dream role, we’ve compiled a list of 10 winning interview tips.

Do your homework

This is a critical yet often overlooked component of interview preparation. When you are invited for an interview, ensure you familiarize yourself with the company and show that you have done your due diligence. This also includes research on your interviewer.  Employers may not be willing to offer a role to somebody who has failed to demonstrate a genuine interest in the organization and role in question.

It is always good practice to research what a company does, what their values are, and what differentiates them from their competitors. More important, think about what that means to you and how it aligns with what you are looking for.

Read the job description carefully

Ensure you are prepared to answer questions about how your experience relates to the job description. The hiring manager will use your answers to determine your suitability for the role.

Draw upon examples from your experience that demonstrate that you have a particular skill or core competency the company is looking for. For instance, if the role you are applying for requires someone who can manage multiple projects at once, the hiring manager might ask you to share an occasion where you used that skill in your professional experience.

Refresh your technique to effective competency interviews and frame your answers well.

Dress appropriately

The way you present yourself in a job interview will influence the interviewer’s impression of you and the overall success of the interview.

Choosing the right attire is an important step, as each organization will have different expectations for what their employees should wear.

A finance company may have more professional requirements for employee attire compared to a tech company; therefore, it is imperative that you consider how you’ll dress and ensure it’s appropriate for the company you are meeting with.

Good presentation is as important for a video interview as it is for face to face.

Make a good first impression

Making a good first impression can determine the degree to which you are successful in your interview. The way you introduce yourself, shake the interviewer’s hand or interact in the initial conversation, all play an important role in the outcome of your interview. So, arrive on time, remember good posture, a friendly greeting, and most importantly, smile!

Pay attention to your body language

Effective body language can help you convey a positive message to the interviewer and is an important indicator of your confidence and interest, regardless of whether you are attending a face to face or virtual interview. You should pay attention to your posture, avoid slouching and sit up straight.

Don’t cross your arms on your chest as it creates an invisible wall between you and the hiring manager, and steer clear of excessive hand movements.

Prepare 3 personal facts about yourself

As much as the interview is to assess your professional skills and abilities, employers also want to learn more about you as a person. Sometimes this question can throw you off in an interview.

Think about your interests and hobbies, volunteering projects, or anything else that you feel comfortable talking about that will help the interviewer to develop a more in-depth understanding of you and what makes you tick.

Highlight your most relevant transferable skills

Transferable skills are a set of skills and abilities that can be applied to a wide range of different jobs and industries.

This will be extremely helpful for selling your potential, especially if you’re at the start of your career and don’t have extensive experience under your belt, or if you’re looking to transition into a new industry. demonstrating that you have transferable skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you are a good fit for this role, regardless of your lack of experience in a certain industry.

Prepare insightful questions to demonstrate your interest

Preparing insightful questions to ask prospective employers in an interview will help you to come across as interested, enthusiastic and engaged. Asking strategic questions shows that you have conducted in-depth research into the company and that you have a strong interest in the role in question.

For example, you may wish to ask about the key challenges of the role, career progression opportunities offered by the company, or the company culture.

Be yourself

As cliché as this sounds, it’s probably one of the best pieces of advice you could receive.

Pretending to be someone you are not or providing misleading or dishonest information about your background or experience won’t lead to a successful outcome. Employers want to hire someone who is honest and transparent, and if you simply focus on being yourself, it will pay off.

Send a thank-you note

Finally, sending a thank you note or email after an interview is not only an act of courtesy, but also demonstrates your enthusiasm for the role.

Sending a simple email to thank your interviewer for their time will make you stand out in their memory.

Job interviews don’t have to be an intimidating experience, the key to reducing job interview stress is thorough preparation and practice.

Following our 10 must-do tips will fast-track your route to your dream job.

If you’re interested in receiving interview guidance or if you are looking to make a career change, we can help! Submit your resume here.

The post Ten tips for a successful job interview appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Why asking your interviewer questions is important

Interviews can often be a dreaded part of the recruitment process. Regardless of whether they’re a panel interview, video interview or phone interview however, they’re integral to your understanding of the PA job and the prospective employer. And, asking your interviewer well-researched and considered questions presents an opportunity to emphasize your enthusiasm for the open vacancy.

It’s likely that a well-prepped interviewer will set out the agenda for the meeting at the beginning, advising whether they’d welcome questions throughout the interview or at the end (be aware, there may be interviewers who are ill-prepared!). If this isn’t mentioned, however, we generally advise to try and keep the conversation as two-way as possible.

Every question you ask the employer affords you an opportunity to highlight your own skills too! By framing your questions appropriately, you can convey your strengths and examples of previous performance in an interactive and proactive way. For example, when asking about process improvement, you could say, “At my last organization, I set up a committee for all the PAs to meet once a month so that we could share tips and improve processes. Do you have anything similar in place here?”.

How long does a PA interview last?

A typical PA interview will last about an hour and we would normally expect you to have seen a copy of the full job description beforehand.  There will usually be two or three stages to a PA interview process – but we have seen this take a lot longer depending on the company and seniority of the position.

Example questions PAs can ask their employer in interview

1. How many PAs are working in the company at the moment and how do you allocate executives to PAs?

This question will help you to better understand the make-up of the PA team, as well as how the management team view the business support function. Do they recognize its importance or do they, for the most part, try to push senior execs to do the admin for themselves? It might also shed some light on your support network once you’re working for the company (moral and professional!).

2. What are the key goals you’d like to see me achieving in the first three months?

Having a better understanding of the key objectives will give you better clarity around what is important to them. It might be that they want you to focus on getting your head around the different time zones you’ll be working with, in which case you’ll know that that’s the key priority.

3. Can you tell me more about the personalities of the people I’d be assisting?

As you know, personal assistant jobs are so much more than what’s listed in the job description. Having a better understanding of their personalities is likely to give you a better insight into whether or not you’d be comfortable working for them. If the fit doesn’t feel right, you might need to weigh up the pros and cons of the other aspects of the role.

4. What traits do the most successful PAs in the company have?

Having a greater insight into the other PAs’ perceived successes affords you a glimpse of what they deem to be positive. If you’re very lucky, their successes will be things that you already do and know back-to-front!

5. What technology do the PAs and EAs typically use in the company?

This will give you a better understanding of any knowledge gaps you might have, or an opportunity to let them know you have experience in what they’re using! Knowing their use of tech also gives you a sneak peek into how innovative the business is, in that regard.

6. Aside from the people I’m supporting as a PA, who will be my main stakeholders?

Some PAs only spend a few minutes each day with their executives. Knowing who else you spend time with will play an important part in your enjoyment of the position!

7. What do you feel are the main challenges of this PA opportunity?

Having an understanding of the perceived challenges affords you greater insight into the obstacles you might need to overcome. This will hopefully give you an opportunity to get a fuller understanding of the cons as well as the pros.

8. Tell me about your working style and how you like to work with your PA?

This question is obviously directed towards the executive you’d be supporting, rather than an HR representative. Having a sense of their preferred working style gives an awareness of how closely you’ll be working together, how involved you’ll be with their projects and the day-to-day detail of their requirements.

9. Will I have access to your inbox and will I be responding to emails on your behalf?

Email management has the potential to take a significant chunk of time in a personal assistant’s job. Depending on whether this is something you enjoy, it’s always best to know ahead of time if this is something you’ll be doing.

10. Are there any additional areas of responsibility that I can take on, such as committee work or events management, in other areas of the business?

This question should be phrased carefully, to ensure that there are no misconceptions about your enthusiasm for the role at hand. That said, asking about ways you can add value elsewhere in the business will be well-received in the right context.

11. Do you have any initiatives in place to train and develop your PAs?

The question on many PAs’ minds, when interviewing, surrounds career progression and learning and development (L&D) opportunities. Does the company support advancement and how will they support your professional growth? Instead of asking specifically about career progression before you’ve secured the role, knowing how they structure their L&D will give you a glimpse of the ways in which they can support your growth.

12. Do any events or forums exist for PAs within the business in which they can come together and share ideas?

This demonstrates a consideration of bigger-picture continuous improvement and an ability to look outside of your own role. The advantages of collaboration and team building are also significant.

If you’ve not already submitted your resume, you can do so here.

The post Personal assistants, ask the employer these questions in your next interview appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

How to Write a Letter of Resignation

If you’re wondering how to resign from a job, the best first step is to have a verbal conversation with your manager notifying them of your intention to resign, and that you will be sending in your letter. This can be an opportunity to provide any detail that doesn’t belong in your letter if you should so choose.

In addition, if you need to negotiate or discuss anything such as the length of your notice period, this conversation will give you the opportunity to come to an agreement before putting the details in writing.

It can be hard to know how to best go about writing a resignation letter, but doing so correctly is a crucial step to resigning gracefully. From structure and tone to how much detail you should include, here is an outline of how to write a resignation letter.

Resignation and Final Day

The two most important things to include when you write a letter of resignation are your statement of resignation and the date of your final day. Your statement of resignation can simply say that you are formally notifying your line manager of your resignation from your role at the company.

Secondly, it’s important to avoid any confusion around when your last day is. Check your employment contract for your notice period, count forwards to identify the correct date for your last day, and clearly state this date.

It’s possible that your notice period may end up being shorter or longer than that listed in your contract. This could be for many reasons, such as the starting date in your next role, or agreeing
to a request from your employer to stay longer and assist with the transition. If your notice period is adjusted from your contractual length, ensure to put it in writing, either in your letter or in a follow-up email. This will avoid any possibility of confusion about when you will be finishing up.

A Thank You

It is courteous to include a comment of thanks to your employer. Thank them for the opportunities and support provided during your time at the organization. If there is something in particular you would like to thank your manager for, then briefly do so. You are not required to include a statement of thanks, but it is a recommended thing to include as part of a graceful resignation.

Handover

We suggest that you add a sentence offering to assist in the handover of your tasks to your replacement. You don’t need to go into detail here, as this is something that you will most likely discuss with your manager in person. This is an optional part of a resignation letter, but it is a great way to show your manager that you intend to leave on good terms. Remember, you may need your manager for a reference in the future.

Conclusion

Finish by signing off your letter with your full name. As this is a formal letter, it can be a good idea to include your contact details in the footer (or header) of your letter.

The above are the most common points to include in a letter of resignation. Depending on the nature of your work, you may be required to include additional information. Have a thorough read of your employment contract before writing your letter and ensure that you have identified any additional points that need adding.

Things To Avoid In Your Resignation Letter

There are some things that shouldn’t be said in a resignation letter. These topics may either be better suited to a face-to-face discussion, your exit interview, or even just for conversations at home. When considering how to write a resignation letter, keep these in mind.

Why You Are Leaving

You are not required by law to give a reason for your resignation, and it is usually a good idea to avoid this topic altogether in your letter. If you have found a new role, this is something that you can choose to verbally disclose in conversation with your manager.

Your New Employer

If you have found a new role, do not disclose the details of this in your resignation letter. You can choose to let your manager know about your new role in person, but this isn’t something that you should be including in your letter.

Complaints

It’s important to leave a job on good terms where possible, and your resignation letter is not the place to be airing grievances. If you have constructive feedback to provide your employer with, this is something that can be discussed in your exit interview. If you have frustrations that you feel need venting, avoid doing so in the workplace. Letting out your emotions is what friends and family are for!

Example Resignation Letter

As a starting point, we’ve outlined an example resignation letter below. Most resignation letters these days are handed in digitally. If you are handing your resignation letter in physically, it is a good idea to sign the bottom of the letter.

Date

Dear [manager’s name],

I am writing this letter to formally notify you of my resignation as [role title] at [company name], effective [date of sending]. In accordance with my employment contract, my last day of work will be [date of last day].

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support and opportunities provided to me in my time at [company name].

Please let me know how I can help ensure a smooth transition over the next [notice period length].

Kind Regards,
Your full name
Your contact details

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The post How To Write A Resignation Letter appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

When it comes to hiring for a private household, a private chef can be an invaluable addition. However, hiring a private chef in the US or internationally can be a complex process with a number of elements to consider. From figuring out the correct salary and hours, to catering to your family’s dietary requirements, finding the right fit is essential.

We work with a wide range of private chefs who are available for one-off events, weekends or seasons in a permanent, full-time capacity. With varying responsibilities and experience, it’s vital to understand what you’re looking for, what to expect of your chef and the level of culinary prowess your family expects on a day-to-day basis.

What is a Personal Chef?

A personal chef is a qualified chef that you can hire on a temporary or permanent basis to cook bespoke meals for you and your family, or for an event, holiday or other special occasion. The main benefits of hiring a private chef are:

1. You remove the need to cook, saving valuable time that can be allocated elsewhere
2. A personal chef uses their expertise to source, prepare and serve restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of your own home or chosen location
3. Personal chefs can come up with balanced, nutritional meal plans in accordance with your preferences or dietary requirements, ensuring that you’re looking after your health, and eating tasty meals

Private Domestic Chef

Private domestic chefs work for one client or several, on a part-time or full-time basis. If they’re working for one client full-time, they will often also live on the Principal’s estate. Hiring a private domestic chef allows for a truly customized meal plan, and completely removes the stress and time taken from preparing multiple meals a day.

Restaurant Chef

A restaurant chef works in a professional kitchen and is trained to prepare meals to a high standard. Private chefs usually have several years of experience working in demanding restaurant environments, often in fine dining. This means that private chefs are extremely capable of working to tight deadlines and above-and-beyond requests.

Why hire a private chef?

A private chef is becoming an increasingly popular option for busy UHNWI and families. Hiring a private chef for the night for a dinner party can take the stress out of catering, while hiring a private chef for a weekend – perhaps during the ski season – means your family can focus on more important activities!

A private chef can also assist when catering to complex dietary requirements or eating behaviors. If your Principal or a family member has allergies, eats a restricted diet or simply prefers one cuisine over another, having a private chef can make a huge difference – they can design menus, source ingredients and prepare meals with your Principal’s needs in mind.

How to Hire a Personal Chef for a Week?

Hiring a personal chef for a week can be the perfect way to elevate a busy or special time for you and your family. Simply call or our team on +(917) 970 0670 to brief us on your requirements. The longer the lead time the better, as it will mean we can perfectly cater to your needs, however it’s not uncommon for us to be able to source someone at a moment’s notice! Regardless of whether you need someone in the US or internationally, we can help.

Once a professional has been selected, we will handle all the paperwork on both sides. The candidate will submit a timesheet at the end of the week which is sent to your email for approval. Once approved, we will pay the candidate directly and send you an invoice.

Tiger’s chefs are highly experienced, capable and are available to be hired on a temporary basis. To turn a holiday or special occasion into an unforgettable experience, consider hiring a personal chef for a week.

Read more about temporary private hiring

Hire a Personal Chef for a Week

Whether you’re pressed for time, have a taste for exquisite food, or just want to kick back and relax whilst an experienced professional cooks a meal for you and your family, either in the comfort of your own home, on holiday, or for a special event – there are many good reasons to hire a personal chef for a week.

We have a wide range of chefs available immediately for temporary placements and permanent positions and can provide advice on how to hire a private chef.

 Email Tiger Private

Looking for a temporary chef job?

If you’re an experienced private chef and looking for your next temporary opportunity, Tiger Private can help you. Find your next chef role here or submit your details. 

The post Hiring a private chef: what you need to know appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Career development is the ongoing process of learning new skills and improving your current ones in order to reach the next step in your career and achieve your long-term goals.

Career development books are packed with valuable information and advice and can help you advance in your role, sharpen your skills, and stand out from the competition.

If you want to level up your career, check out our recommendations below.

Five top books for your career development

• How to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale Carnegie

One of the best-selling and (appropriately) influential books of all time, business writer Carnegie’s book remains hugely relevant to personal and professional growth, despite first being published in 1936.

The book contains many timeless insights into human relations that can be applied in all manner of situations, from team meetings, to sales pitches, client management, and in your private life.

With such a wide view, it’s no wonder it’s become a favorite for people in all walks of life, including incredibly successful business people like Warren Buffett.

• Dare to lead – Brené Brown 

This book speaks primarily to leaders and aspiring leaders, however, there are some useful nuggets of career advice in here for everyone.

American research professor, lecturer and author Brené Brown teaches us the importance of leading mindfully while harnessing the power of accountability and vulnerability.

She claims that successful leaders are courageous, are not afraid of difficult conversations and use empathy to establish connections with those they lead.

The book shares practical strategies to help you become a successful, high-impact leader.

• Designing your work life – Bill Burnett and Dave Evans 

In this inspiring and eye-opening book, authors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans reveal that it’s possible to transform your working life and improve your current situation without changing jobs.

They demonstrate how adopting ‘design thinking’ can enhance the level of satisfaction you derive from your current job and transform how you experience work overall.

This transformation is achieved via the adoption of a designer mindset that includes: curiosity, reframing, radical collaboration, awareness, bias to action, and storytelling.

• What got you here won’t get you there – Marshall Goldsmith 

This thought-provoking book is an excellent choice for those seeking to achieve the next milestone in their career.

The author explains that the habits and behaviors that got you to where you are today may in fact become an obstacle in the next stage of your career.

Adopting the practical methods in this book will help you to achieve greater progress in your professional life by encouraging you to work on your shortcomings.

• Invaluable – Maya Grossman 

In this practical career guide, Maya Grossman teaches you the ten skills you need to skyrocket your career.

She offers advice on becoming an inestimable employee,  developing your career and feeling fulfilled in your job.

Use the career development toolkit to apply the teachings in this book and experience an immediate transformation.

Final thoughts on the best career development books

Working on your career development is a lifelong process which will require discipline and determination, but which will also prove extremely rewarding. Looking for more inspo from the experts? Why not check out this list of seven recommended books to help inspire you personally and professionally.

If you’d like access to some additional resources that will help you reach your full potential, why not explore the New Skills Academy online courses? Our partner, New Skills Academy, offers courses and training opportunities to help you enhance your skills and career prospects.

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Submit your details today, and one of our consultants will assist you in your job search.

The post Five best books for your career development appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.