In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look at what makes the best employees or interims stand out from their peers...

As a Public Sector professional, it is crucial to select individuals for your team who will excel and contribute to the achievement of your objectives.

The importance of making the 'right' hire cannot be overstated, as bringing on board someone who doesn't precisely match your needs can have detrimental effects on your team and, ultimately, hinder your success.

According to estimates from the Recruitment and Employee Confederation (REC), the cost of making an incorrect hire at the management level (with a salary of approximately £42,000) can soar as high as £132,000 – yes, you read that correctly.

No organisation wishes to spend more time, resources, or money than necessary on their recruitment process. Ideally, you would consistently make the correct hire on the first attempt, but unfortunately, life is not always that straightforward.

However, as a leader in the Public Sector, there are strategies you can employ to mitigate hiring challenges within your organisation. High on the priority list is exclusively selecting individuals with specific high-performance skills.

Keeping an eye out for essential characteristics can significantly contribute to accomplishing your objectives, and we've pinpointed 5 traits that can have a substantial impact. By hiring individuals possessing these attributes, you can attract the success you desire for your organisation.

Strong Communication Skills

Effective communication stands as the paramount trait in all exceptional Public Sector employees. While possessing excellent skills is one aspect, the inability to communicate effectively with one's team can halt progress entirely.

In any organisation, regardless of its size, the way employees engage with one another is the linchpin of a successful team, a significance amplified in our contemporary physically distant world. With the surge in remote work, the need for outstanding communication skills has never been more vital. Sending an unclear email or miscommunicating a message over the phone can trigger a cascade of issues for the entire team.

The most prosperous teams are comprised of adept communicators. Therefore, consider this attribute just as indispensable as Public Sector skills when scrutinising candidates during your recruitment process.

Independence and Autonomy

Within a dynamic Public Sector organisation, it is imperative to assemble a team capable of operating independently well beyond the initial onboarding phase. Your workforce must possess the proficiency to effectively manage their time, strike a harmonious workload balance, and consistently meet critical deadlines.

Furthermore, research underscores the profound impact of autonomy on various facets of organisational performance. Autonomy is not merely a desirable trait but a compelling contributor to heightened engagement, enhanced productivity, and amplified job satisfaction. Studies, such as those featured in the Harvard Business Review, have affirmed the positive correlation between autonomy and job satisfaction ("Does Autonomy Increase Job Satisfaction?" HBR, 2018).

When you actively recruit and foster autonomy within your team, the dividends are not one-sided. It benefits both you as a leader and your employees. During the recruitment process, identifying candidates with a strong inclination toward autonomy can be achieved by probing their comfort level with independent work and assessing their experiences in self-directed roles, especially in remote or home-based settings. Pay attention to how confidently they express their self-driven approach, as this can be a powerful indicator of their potential success in your organisation.

An Optimistic Outlook

Cultivating a positive mindset holds utmost importance within Public Sector organisations, yet regrettably, it's not a trait easily imparted through instruction.

Some individuals naturally approach challenges with a 'can-do' attitude, perpetually uncovering silver linings in situations, and consistently serving as sources of encouragement – precisely the kind of people your Public Sector organisation thrives upon.

Conversely, individuals harbouring a pessimistic mindset encounter greater difficulty in flourishing and progressing, often struggling to see beyond obstacles. Their negativity can, unfortunately, permeate and demoralise other team members.

Moreover, individuals with a positive mindset possess a remarkable capacity to navigate and adapt to change seamlessly – a crucial attribute for the evolving landscape of Public Sector organisations.

A Team Player

Like possessing a positive mindset, being a collaborative team member emerges as a vital attribute for Public Sector professionals in our post-Covid era.

When assessing potential employees, prioritise those who boast ample experience in diverse team settings. Collaborating with a spectrum of individuals with distinct personalities is an effective way to cultivate the skills requisite for exceptional teamwork.

Team players make meaningful contributions by actively listening to their colleagues, offering fresh perspectives, and fortifying bonds and trust within the team. They prove indispensable, particularly when confronted with challenging situations (Smith, J., "The Changing Dynamics of Teamwork in the Post-Covid World," Public Sector Today, 2022).

Adaptability

Lastly, considering the profound transformations our world has experienced due to the pandemic, adaptability has become paramount.

Never has the ability to operate beyond our comfort zones been so vital. It is now imperative for all Public Sector employers to ensure that their teams can readily adjust to the ever-evolving demands of a post-pandemic world.

Some individuals excel at navigating change, while others may find it more challenging, and some may resist it altogether. How have employees responded to the recent shifts in our world? Have they embraced new ways of working and living with enthusiasm?

Adaptability is closely linked to a growth mindset, where employees consistently seek opportunities for development and personal growth. This approach represents the sole pathway to sustained future success.

Finally

If you are looking to employ new talent into your Public Sector organisation, these are the skills that you should be on the lookout for.

If you need help finding great Public Sector talent for your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you recruit the high-performing individuals you need, get in touch with us on 0870 042 1430 or email us here.

Marta Ortigas is a Director at Malikshaw Interim & Executive, a leading interim management and executive search firm exclusively focused on helping organisations achieve transformational change through delivering high performance, diverse, impactful talent teams.

Transforming our client’s performance through exceptional talent…

+44 7715 905810

marta.ortigas@malikshaw.com

www.malikshaw.com

My Biography

Senior Delivery Manager with over 15 years of experience delivering complex systems in both and Agile and Waterfall setting. I oversee the full SDLC delivery from inception through to cutover and Go Live. 

I thrive on creating high performing team and building the team culture, this will help to deliver business value to my clients. I enjoy developing soft skills and pushing empowerment to help drive team members to reach for the stars!

My Areas of Expertise

Software Delivery 
Agile Scrum/Kanban/SAFE 
Building high performing teams

My Languages

English
Gujarati

My Interests

My family
Football
Travelling around the world

My Biography

I am a Recent graduate from De Montfort University with a 2:1 degree in Business and Management utilising my knowledge and skills to begin a career in recruitment. I pride myself in being a Driven individual who can effectively communicate with a wide range of people. This has given me experience with building relations with people, something I enjoy experiencing on a regular basis. I spend much of my free time playing football and challenging myself to learn new Sports. 

My Areas of Expertise

Data
Contemporary Business Issues
Creative Management & Marketing

My Languages

English

My Interests

Football
Fitness
Formula 1

Celebrated our successful appointment on the #dft STARThree Framework. Met the framework team, external clients and STARThree consultants to collaborate and hopefully build great, rewarding relationships!

STARThree is the Department for Transport's framework that will replace Specialist Technical Advisory for Rail (STARTwo). The framework enables access to high quality, professionally qualified and experienced specialist third party advisory support for a range of service requirements.

Malikshaw has been awarded onto Lot 2 which has awarded six transport market specific ‘Agency’ Suppliers to enable the DfT to access suitably experienced, high calibre, specialist technical and commercial advisory (consultancy) services.

#buildingpatnerships #collaboration #malikshaw

Well done Hellios Information for organising a great event, #Joscarlive ! Lots of learning, #networking and amazing runway sighting!

JOSCAR (Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register) is an accreditation and compliance system used in the aerospace, defense, and security industries. It was developed to simplify and streamline supplier qualification, compliance, and risk management processes within these sectors. JOSCAR is designed to standardize and centralize the pre-qualification and assessment of suppliers, reducing duplication of efforts and resources across the supply chain.

We are delighted to be accredited by Joscar and support some of the largest Primes in its 24 clients including BAE Systems, Babcock, Lonardo, AirTanker and Rafael UK.

#malikshaw #recruitment #smebusiness

We are delighted to have sponsored a table at the recent Women in Rail/ #WRAwards2023 to celebrate #equalityanddiversity and #inclusion.
Congratulations to the winners and nominees. We are proud of your achievements in contributing to improving #genderbalance, #diversity and #inclusion across the UK #railindustry.

After a long hiatus, Malikshaw hosted guests for drinks in London. We enjoyed meeting new faces, seeing old ones, catching up and hearing stories!

Check out the event photos on Instagram.

"I'm still brimming with joy and positivity after spending time yesterday with our AMS Diversity & Inclusion Alliance. A group of market leading diversity partners and recruitment specialists who are all collectively driving for better outcomes for under-represented talent. We all shared our views of the emerging trends for the year ahead and it was good to see so many linkages and common areas of focus across all protected characteristics.

I'm excited about how we can take this Alliance forward, initially for our Public Sector Resourcing business. Collectively, we will be a force for change in supporting under-represented talent in sourcing employment across the UK. Great to bring together our network of DEI partners to talk plans for our "AMS Diversity & Inclusion Alliance" (watch this space) and share our top #DEI trends and insights for 2023"

Paul Modley, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

"Great to bring together our network of DEI partners to talk plans for our "AMS Diversity & Inclusion Alliance" and share our top #DEI trends and  insights for 2023

Such a passionate group of experts specialising in disability, age, social mobility, LGBTQ+ and more looking for drive sustainable change and improve diverse representation across our clients"

Michael Caley, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusions (DEI) Manager at AMS, Innovation | Assessment Consultant

We are honoured, excited, and energised to become part of the AMS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Alliance. Not only will this allow us to share our own experience of best practice, but it will also enable us to learn from a number of brilliant leaders and partners all committed to creating a fairer workplace.

The AMS Alliance is designed to put diversity into practice for contingent hiring, provide business and social value opportunities, best practices, and gather market insight to better inform DEI strategy, attraction, and engagement approach.

Through these powerful partnerships, we strive to enact lasting positive change towards diverse representation.
We are committed to making long-term, significant changes in the DEI space as understand the need to create workforces that are reflective of the communities in which organisations operate in.

My Biography

I am a driven, hard working individual who likes overcoming new challenges to succeed. My effective communication skills allow me to work well as part of the team and also talk to lots of different people to a professional standard. My main strengths are my interpersonal skills such as active listening and emotional intelligence, both helping my ability to talk to new people on the phone. In my spare time I'm very active and enjoy learning new sports as well as playing football at the weekends. I'm excited to develop my learning further with Malikshaw and to see what this new opportunity brings.

My Areas of Expertise

Business Analysis
Digital
Data
Commercial

My Languages

English

My Interests

Cooking
Fitness
Travel