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Issue 1 Autumn 2008
Higher Talent is a specialist recruitment consultancy dedicated to the search and
selection of Human Resources professionals. This issue sees the launch of Higher
Talent’s Quarterly HR Newsletter and is focused on Resourcing.
Welcome to Higher Talent’s Quarterly
HR Newsletter
Included in this Autumn edition:
Higher Talent is a specialist recruitment
Page consultancy dedicated to the search and selection
Contents
of Human Resources professionals. We build long
2 Alison Hughes, Director of term and trusted relationships with our clients and
Higher Talent, shares her candidates alike.
insights on the challenges of
recruiting Reward Professionals
Our approach to Human Resources recruitment is
3 Rob Jarvis, a Senior Consultant flexible and tailored to your individual needs. We
with MM&K HR Partner, shares will take the time to understand those needs and
his thoughts on how exit
strive to deliver the results you require.
information and induction form a
vital part of the recruitment
process Our consultants have unrivalled breadth and depth
3 Nicky Barclay, a Consultant at in their HR knowledge, having all worked as HR
Ambler Collins, updates us on professionals and specialists in industry or
the introduction of the new
consultancy roles. This provides us with a unique
points band system for
immigration insight into senior HR positions and related
functions, such as reward, learning and
4 Mike Crimes, an Occupational development and employee communications.
Psychologist and Associate of
Higher Talent explores current
trends in psychometrics
www.higher-talent.com 1 020 7283 9200
Recruiting Reward Professionals Advertising: If you are looking to recruit an HR generalist, a
carefully presented advertisement in People Management
Alison Hughes, Director, Higher magazine would probably generate a good number of relevant
CVs. However, it is difficult to know where to advertise a reward
Talent
role as individuals can come from a variety of different
backgrounds and could be just as likely to read Accountancy Age
or Taxation magazine. There is also an upfront cost implication to
advertising. An eye-catching advertisement in the trade press or
Reward is a niche market where the demand for high calibre a broadsheet will cost upwards of £10,000 with no guarantee of
professionals is ever increasing. The available talent pool is success.
limited and there is fierce competition for the highest
performing individuals. Organisations looking to attract these There is an increasing number of online job boards dedicated to
individuals need to have an understanding of the market and HR roles. Although these are more cost-effective than press
of how to reach potential candidates. advertising, those that provide the ability for candidates to search
by “specialism” and thus pinpoint reward roles are few and far
Current Characteristics of the Reward Market between.
There are a number of characteristics that define the current
reward market that an organisation needs to consider when Agencies: It is essential to ensure that a retained recruitment
looking to recruit. agency understands the reward profession and has knowledge of
the skills and experience required to be successful in this area.
Entry Level Candidates - Our experience shows that the most They will also need to understand your organisation and the role
difficult reward roles to fill are those at entry or graduate level. so that they can ‘sell’ the opportunity to potential candidates.
Attracting graduates with the requisite skills and competencies
into the reward market is an interesting challenge. Most Many agencies will offer contingency recruitment services. In this
graduates have no idea what “reward” is and many are amazed instance, the agency will start by conducting a database search,
that there is a whole professional sector dedicated to this area. i.e. searching for candidates with the right skills set already
registered with the agency. Many agencies also have prepaid
The larger consulting firms recruit the most entry level reward space in HR magazines or recruitment websites where they will
professionals and they can afford to devote time and resources advertise the vacancy to attract more candidates. For
to participate in the “milk round”. HR graduates with good contingency recruitment the fee is payable upon success, i.e. the
analytical and commercial skills will naturally be attracted to candidate has started work at your company. Contingency fees
pursuing a career in reward – not least because of the strategic generally range from 20 to 25 per cent of the starting salary.
and commercial challenges but also because of the impact such
work has on the corporate entity and all the employees that This kind of recruitment, however, only tends to reach those
work within it. candidates that are actively looking to leave their jobs, narrowing
the market considerably. To target the “high flyers”, it is worth
Interim Market - Reward is a profession and specialism that considering engaging a headhunter to conduct a search. The
lends itself well to the interim market. In the current economic headhunter will conduct fresh research into the market,
climate, companies are looking for a more flexible workforce and identifying the key talent for your role and approaching these
there appears to be plenty of reward professionals also looking individuals confidentially and discreetly. For search, a fee is
for the flexibility that interim work offers. Most reward interims normally payable at the beginning of the assignment to cover the
are at the senior end of the market. There are three main types up-front time costs of the headhunter. A further fee is sometimes
of interim assignment: payable on production of a shortlist and a final fee on completion.
In total, this fee is normally around 30 per cent of the starting
(i) The “caretaker” – standing in for a head of reward during salary.
a period of absence;
(ii) The “project manager” – going in to deliver a specific Assessment
project, e.g. international benefits audit, implementation The methodology used for assessing reward candidates will be
of new reward programmes, communication projects, etc; dependent upon the level of the role and the skills, experience
(iii) The “change agent” – going in to integrate two companies and behaviours required to perform at a high level.
post merger or acquisition while the new structure is being
agreed or a new permanent employee is sought. Many organisations conduct numeracy and verbal reasoning
testing for all potential candidates. This is frequently an online
Most interim managers will charge a daily rate which varies a test completed in the candidate’s own time. These types of test
great deal depending on the complexity of the role. Interim are particularly useful for junior candidates and can be combined
managers are most readily accessed via recruitment agencies with spreadsheet testing to identify the analytical skills and
or via your own network. general communication skills of candidates.
Pay- The pay received by reward professionals does attract a Skills testing should be coupled with CV based and/or competency
premium over other HR salaries. Reward incumbents can based interviews conducted by line management and HR. At the
receive around 10 to 20 per cent more than their generalist more senior end, organisations might also want to incorporate
counterparts. psychometric testing or assessment centres. Good HR
recruitment consultancies can assist with any of the
Traditionally, consulting firms have paid slightly more than above-mentioned assessment approaches if organisations do not
in-house roles and it is not unusual for reward professionals have the capability in-house. Best practice dictates that testing
moving from consulting to industry to have to take a small of any kind requires feedback of results or assessments to be
pay cut on occasions. However, it is becoming increasingly given to all candidates. Whilst this is a time consuming process it
common for very senior consultants (many at partner level) does help to establish credibility for employers and enhance their
to move into industry and this practice is tending to level out reputation as good corporate citizens.
the salaries.
Conclusions
Few salary surveys provide a specialist breakdown within HR. It is a different exercise hiring a reward professional to other HR
If you are using a recruitment agency to source reward recruits. They can come from a variety of different backgrounds
professionals, they should be able to provide you with up to and organisations need to keep an open mind when considering
date benchmark salary information. the experience that potential candidates are offering. A good
reward person is a truly valuable asset to any company. They can
Attracting candidates often save their salary in effective delivery and creative problem
It is a challenge to know how to go about reaching and attracting solving. Hirers need to ensure that they make the most of their
potential candidates in the reward area. skills, develop them within the team, retain and motivate them
and then bask in their reflected glory.
www.higher-talent.com 2 020 7283 9200
Exit Information and Induction: This situation is indicative of poor recruitment from Exit
Interviews through to Induction. Such scenarios lead to a
Vital components of a successful
number of negative impacts:
recruitment process
• additional cost of recruiting a replacement
Robert Jarvis, Senior Consultant • wasted time of recruiting manager and inductor
MM&K HR Partner • contributes to lower morale of the existing team
• poor reflection of the leavers employment record
The traditional view of a recruitment process is the physical act • potential damage to the company’s reputation
of creating an advert, interviewing and offering a job to a Induction is the general term used for the process of introducing
candidate. It is the strongly held view at MM & K HR Partner an individual to an organisation, and should be linked to the
that the recruitment process in its entirety starts as one equally important elements of socialisation and orientation, which
individual resigns or a new post is conceived and finishes around are the informal and formal elements respectively. Induction
three months into post, once induction, orientation and should be given equal planning time as part of the overall
socialisation is fully completed and probation has been recruitment process. A good induction will ensure that the new
successfully passed. employee will:
Eldridge, R (2008) conducted a study for Talent Drain in which • establish themselves quickly meaning that maximum
he concluded that HR opinion and employee experience is not productivity will be reached sooner
always the same when it comes to reason for leaving. He • become motivated and fit into the business
reviewed anonymous exit data which contradicted data received • understand any health and safety issues relating to their
from HR practitioners recording data ‘in-house’. job
• understand the corporate culture, targets, values and
Exit surveys and interviews are an important source of beliefs
information to ensure that any replacements do not encounter
the same challenges and difficulties as the leaver. They allow ACAS recommend that organisations have a formalised induction
organisations to review and improve current roles to ensure that programme with a checklist in order that there is confidence that
the business is correctly staffed with individuals with the right all important aspects have been covered; from health and safety
level and breadth of experience, and motivated in the right way through to IT policies and sickness reporting.
for their job.
Socialisation is perhaps the hardest part of the induction process
Interestingly Eldridge’s study highlighted that 57% of HR to conquer, but careful planning to allow for time and space for
departments conduct some form of exit interview or survey but the individual to interact with all members of the team, in as many
only half of that number aggregate the data to assess trends, different settings as possible will provide the best opportunity for
and therefore the process appears to be a tick box exercise, success.
where little is done with the data collected. With careful
According to Business Link ‘Investing time in this process will give
planning, appropriate systems and processes this data should
new workers a good grounding and help them make fewer
form a vital part of the recruitment process. Organisations
mistakes in the long run’. This is time that many of our clients do
should embrace this feedback as an important development
not have, and that is where MM & K HR Partner can assist by using
opportunity for the progression of the business.
our expertise in exit and induction planning and implementation.
Our experience is that leavers are far more likely to be open and
Recent statistics from the CIPD Recruitment and Retention
honest to independent advisers and therefore conducting exit
survey of 2007 suggests that 19% of leavers had less than six
interviews, analysing data and trends and presenting back is one
months service.
part of the process that we can undertake for your organisation.
New Immigration Policy Now Effective Our expectation is that companies and non-EEA nationals will
create a large volume of enquiries around their visa needs once
Tier 2 is operational.
Nicky Barclay, Consultant at Ambler Collins
Ambler Collins’ advice is that all Companies and Organisations
In a Statement of Intent published on 6 May 2008 the UK employing non-EEA nationals should submit their application for
Border Agency (UKBA) advised of changes to be implemented registration at the earliest opportunity. The UKBA stated that the
which will radically alter the way UK based employers are able risk of not registering could cause log-jams and delays.
to apply to employ non-EEA nationals.
This would mean if you were a company employing a Foreign
The current work permit scheme will cease to exist on National on a Work Permit and it needed to be extended but the
30 November 2008 and the new Tier 2 system will begin. employer was not registered in time that the individual would
Tier 2 requires that any UK based employer wishing to recruit have to leave the UK before the expiry of their visa and wait in
non-EEA Nationals will have to be included on a list of their country of Citizenship until registration and a totally new
Sponsors and obtain a Licence to allow them to employ application was completed.
non-EEA nationals. An online application is lodged by the
employer and then documentary evidence of the company’s If you are a company or organisation employing non-EEA nationals
legal trading in the UK is provided to the UKBA who will then and have not lodged your licence application as yet it is imperative
arrange to make a visit to the company offices. that you do this as soon as possible. If you require any advice on
this or have general queries on the employment of foreign
Employers have been advised by the UKBA to make their nationals please do not hesitate to contact Nicky Barclay on
application to be included on the Sponsor register no later nicky@amblercollins.com or 020 7371 0213.
that 1 October 2008 to ensure all is completed and in place
by the date that the new legislation comes into effect. About Ambler Collins
However we have been informed that the uptake of Employers
applying for their Licence has been very low. In fact there Ambler Collins is the UK’s longest established multi destination
seems to be a certain amount of resistance and reluctance visa consultancy and has successfully helped many thousands of
from the Commercial sector to apply for registration under the customers in fulfilling aspirations to live, work, study and gain
new Tier 2 Points Based System. immigration for a new country. Ambler Collins prides itself on its
friendly, personal and professional service. Our business has been
The Immigration Law Practitioners Association met with the built entirely on our success in providing comprehensive migration
UKBA on the 16th May 2008. The UKBA advised that they are and associated services to all kinds of people and businesses. We
very worried and concerned about sponsors not registering and have considerable experience in preparing different categories of
applying for their licence. visas and work permits for different countries and policies.
www.higher-talent.com 3 020 7283 9200
Psychometrics – making the • The degree to which technical competence is critical to
right choice success.
• The time and effort required to use the technique, in
proportion to the risk of poor selection.
Mike Crimes, Associate of
Higher Talent Higher Talent recognise from experience that test batteries used
to select people for particular jobs or tasks generally predict
performance better if they focus less on estimating overall,
general ability, and more on the content of the job- such as verbal
Traditionally, recruiters have looked almost exclusively at abilities for writing, and spatial abilities for air-traffic control. We
candidates in terms of competency frameworks. However, a have also found from experience that particular ability tests may
broader strategy, which combines cutting edge thinking with be valuable predictors of performance in jobs with different levels
traditional assessment tools, enables us to produce a more of complexity, such as numerical ability tests predicting success in
flexible range of assessment services. analytical rates.
It is important to recognise the value of competency-based Nevertheless, it is not just about more effective test selection.
approaches, especially in relation to performance management, Decision-making also needs to evolve in relation to understanding
promoting processes and management development. However, the target role. Job analysis techniques employed in the early
current research has identified a number of alternatives. stages of selection may help an organisation’s understanding of
the key tasks and behaviours required to ensure success.
Recent research has concluded that complex psychological skills However, a number of broader questions also need to be asked.
can be subdivided into four distinct elements - managing
emotion - communicating - solving problems - managing energy. • Do all the key stakeholders want the same outputs from a
Another powerful driver of behaviour is internal motivation. particular role?
• Are the behaviours required from a role the same as those
This can have a considerable impact on how well people can
needed five years ago?
perform on a job, independent of ability. Assessing job
• Is the selection process rigorous
environment fit can also provide a more rounded backdrop in
and yet consensual?
recruitment, enabling a wider consideration of the
organisational culture. A broader job analysis process brings together key stakeholders
for debate and agreement concerning a particular role and how it
Within each of these alternate strategies, the key driver behind affects the organisation on a micro and macro level. This gains
selection testing is simple in its essence. Different types of buy-in to any psychometric chosen because a wider backdrop has
positions require different kinds of selection techniques. been considered in decision-making. Furthermore, traditional
Choosing the right techniques will help you to recruit the best ways of profiling roles rely on listing accountabilities or setting
person for the position. The selection techniques you choose levels of competence. Both look at "what" is to be done, but miss
depend on the particular skills, attributes and knowledge the critical ingredient of "how" - what will the role require of the
required for the position. You must be able to match the individual beyond the basic competence?
selection method with the selection criteria that are most
critical to the position. Considering these factors will significantly reduce the risk of
incorrect selection criteria leading to poor psychometric
A range of factors need to be considered in deciding the decision-making. These approaches will continue to impact and
appropriateness of a particular psychometric test, including: drive forward professional practice, and continuing a relationship
with Higher Talent will keep these winning formulas alive.
• Equality issues, i.e. is there potential for the chosen
technique to directly or indirectly discriminate against Increasing social awareness of the need for accurate and fair
minority groups? testing has combined with technological developments to produce
• Available resources. dramatic advances in psychometric models, methods, and
• The budget. procedures. Through dynamism and drive it is critical that we
• The seniority/level of position. continuously improve these advances through better and better
• The degree to which managerial/leadership ability is practice, maintaining our position as active and not passive
critical to success. professionals in a continually evolving marketplace.
Here is a small selection of our Current Vacancies at Higher Talent:
Senior Consultant – HR/OD Human Resources Director Head of HR
London Hampshire Dubai
Salary £80,000 - £110,000 £90,000 - £95,000 US$150,000 + discretionary bonus
A leading brand and product 4
Our client is a public sector body with a Our client, a leading innovator in alternative
development consultancy seeking dynamic attitude. This role is part of a investment products and structures targeted
a senior consultant to work on Board of Directors that have been newly in the Middle East and South Asian region,
employee engagement and OD appointed to deliver large-scale change. serves the financial needs of corporations,
projects. governments and municipalities, institutional
The team has already had some major clients, and high net worth individuals,
Senior Consultants will have the successes and are at a point where the primarily across the GCC.
opportunity to shape and lead the people strategy is key to the continuation
development of this practice as of this success. They have recently Reporting to the COO, this new role will
well as work on interesting and secured a large sum of capital investment deliver an HR strategy that is fully aligned
diverse client projects. for the next two years. with the business objectives and will ensure
that the HR function is proactive and
compliant in all business activities.
For further information on Higher Talent please contact Alison Hughes
or Natalie Ansell on 020 7283 9200 or info@higher-talent.com
www.higher-talent.com 4 020 7283 9200
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