In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we are a little introspective and look into our online mirror.

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look intodifferent ways you can motivate your team and improve both their morale and your retention of key staff.

 As the new year starts, the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series looks at something we are all familiar with, but don’t always remember and aren’t always comfortable with..

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look into the rise in female leaders.

Women have been historically underrepresented in many sectors, especially when it comes to leadership positions, but is that about to change? The ongoing demand for female leaders is beginning to show gains in industries such as finance and tech, leaving us certain that most other white-collar sectors are sure to follow.

The Negative Impact of the Pandemic

Research conducted by Grant Thornton found that the pandemic had a greater impact on women in the workplace, with figures showing females were four times more likely than their male counterparts to leave the workforce.

However, while women were more likely to remove themselves from the workforce, the pandemic can be seen to have had a positive impact when it comes to women developing to more senior roles within industry. As the world adapted to new ways of working by utilising technology, this allowed for remote, agile, and hybrid ways of working to become the norm. Within the tech industry, 82% of leaders surveyed believed these advances would benefit women’s careers by breaking down traditional barriers and have led to more women applying for senior roles than in previous years.

The New Outlook – a Commitment to the Progression of Women

When you compare the number of female leaders in 2019 to 2022 you will find that there has been a 20% increase in science and tech roles, helping companies to reach new heights of diversity and showing a real commitment to the progression opportunities available to women.

The good news for companies that hire female leaders and have a more diverse range of people running the company is that they are 20% more likely to achieve above-average profits each quarter than those that are dominated by traditionally male boards. There are a number of reasons why this may be the case but ultimately a diverse leadership team is better equipped to support outcomes for a wider range of people, making them a more popular choice.

Pushing for Rapid Progress

Despite the increase in female leadership roles, there is a growing demand that diverse leadership teams become the norm rather than the exception, increasing pressure on firms that currently have a heavily dominated white, male team. A recent report by Deloitte provided insight into the range of reasons that change is not happening as quickly as it should, concluding that there were many reasons for the slow progress including political reasons, lack of new legislation, and social expectations of women.

While there may be explanations for why change is not progressing as quickly as it could, it should be acknowledged that this does not mean it’s time to stop trying to incorporate diversity into all teams. Slow progress is better than no progress and there is clearly an appetite for ensuring recruiting practices promote diversity. With new ways of working often suiting women better than the traditional workplaces, now is the time to keep moving forward and ensure that women have the opportunities to become leaders and role models for the future generations of women your organisation.

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organization, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look at enhancing your career in becoming a non-executive director.

If you are coming to the end of your career, planning a career break or just want to change up your work routine without moving jobs then pursuing a role as a Non-Executive Director (NED) or a Board Advisory role could be the answer.

The wonderful thing about NED roles is that provide an interesting way to use your skills and experiences to help a company grow and become more successful. Many NED role holders will tell you that the gratification they get from these positions is well worth the time allocation as well as getting to use your knowledge in a positive way. Keen to achieve a career as a Non-Executive Director? We’ve shared some simple strategies you can employ to get started, check them out now.

Think About the People in Your Network

For any NED role, being able to network successfully is the key as most of these positions are shared through professional and personal networks rather than advertised directly. This means that you will need to think about expanding your networks in areas that interest you the most so that you can find NED roles as they are shared.

The good news is that there are many professional networks that you can use to expand your horizons! Start with your current and past employment networks and don’t forget to use online networks like LinkedIn too!

Be Open to New Ideas

NED roles can be daunting as they require you to use the depth of your knowledge for the best interests of the company you will be representing. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to come to the role with all the knowledge in place already.

In fact, it is important to be open to new learning so that you can properly prepare for the role before you start. Think about governance, financial and risk management, sustainability, leadership, and growth and be honest about where your current knowledge requires work. If you feel confident that you have the academic understanding, then don’t forget to stay up to date on current trends in your chosen industry!

Be Prepared to Try and Try Again

As NED roles are so popular, you may find that it takes a multitude of attempts before you are able to successfully achieve one. Many people find NED roles exciting and as they can support your progress or help you keep a hand in the industry that interests you, there will be many other competing for the same position.

One way to work around this is to consider roles that are pro-bono or time-limited as this will help to develop your experience, making you far more valuable for future NED roles that you apply for.

Know What You Have to Offer

As with any type of job, remembering what you specifically have to offer is the best way to show off your potential. The same can be said for NED roles, as long as you take the time to find out what they are looking for. Think about the organisation you want to work with, what they offer and how they sell themselves and then take that back to your own skills to find the alignment.

If you cannot find the alignment you want to sell yourself with, take the time to gain further experience or consider pivoting to a different NED role that is in greater alignment with your skills and experiences.

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we investigate the things that should be learned from looking inward when it comes to recruitment process audit.

There’s no denying that recruitment isn’t always easy, especially with the scarcity of qualified candidates in certain areas. However, despite the current climate and the universal recruitment concerns, you may benefit from an internal audit to check that your recruitment processes are working the way you need. Find out exactly how an audit of your current processes can help you move forward more successfully.

Auditing Shows You Your Bias

No matter how forward-thinking you feel your organisation is, there are almost always issues with bias within a recruitment process. Sadly, this bias can be stopping you from seeing specific applicants as viable choices for your vacancies. By allowing bias to interfere with your recruitment, you will find that there are fewer potential choices to pick from, stopping the opportunity to grow and develop in new markets.

It’s important to note that bias isn’t always a conscious thing and even firms that feel they are open to all applicants may find themselves sifting applications unfavourably when the process is audited. Many tools can help remove bias from hiring, including blind recruitment, and when you identify biased practices during your audit, you will be able to make quick changes to improve your recruitment outcomes.

Auditing Can Help You Save Cash

You may feel that the time it takes to audit your current recruitment system is not worth the effort, especially when you are under pressure to deliver in other areas too. However, when you do start the auditing process, you are likely to find many cost savings that will improve the budget and give you more cash to inject into your organisation.

Some of the main areas that offer savings include the time you are spending on each aspect of the recruitment process, the resources you are using to make your current recruitment process work, and the cash you spend on onboarding candidates. By taking the time to assess your current position, you are likely to find new and innovative ways to get the results you need for far less than you have been spending.

Auditing Can Make You More Effective

One thing that many candidates say is a big issue when applying for jobs is the length of time it takes to get to an offer from the initial application. By auditing your process, you can find out how long each part of the process takes and consider if there are any ways to shorten or simplify the way you recruit.

Many companies find that their biggest time issues centre around staff availability to complete processes such as screening and shortlisting – both of which could be made quicker and easier if you worked with an executive search firm or implement the use of AI and other technology to complete some of the work for you.

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition for our Unlocking Success series, we help you consider the promote or hire question.

Hiring the best candidates is an essential part of any organisations success, especially when you can secure top talent that offers the skills you need. However, one of the biggest questions that hiring managers all over the UK face is whether to hire internal candidates or external candidates. We reviewed the advantages of each to help you decide what is best for your company – read on to find out more!

Why Internal Hiring is Great

Choosing to look within when it comes to hiring is a great way to boost staff morale and keep your retention rates high. It also works to keep staff loyal and engaged as they feel that there is a defined route for them to follow when they want to promote. We all know that a happy workforce is more likely to be a productive workforce but hiring internally can also work well as the hires will already know about your culture and ethos as well as have good working relationships with colleagues and managers.

Looking to save money on hires? Internal candidates are cheaper too! Choosing an internal hiring process requires less advertising costs, time, and onboarding expenses. You’ll also find that internal hires are able to transition into their new role at a pace that works for you and will often need far less guidance as they progress.

The Cons of Internal Hiring

As with all hiring, there are factors that you must be prepared for; we’ve shared some of the cons that come with internal hiring:

• Internal hiring can be challenging when you have lots of applicants who go for a single job, leaving you with political fallout to deal with. In the worst cases, this can lead to other staff leaving their roles or working to sabotage the person that was appointed.
• Internal hiring could leave you with a skills shortage if you hire someone that doesn’t have everything you need.
• Internal hires often need mentoring or coaching to help them assimilate into their new role and deal with the change in dynamics between them and their former colleagues.
• Internal hiring may stop you from making diverse and inclusive hires that may hinder your company’s success.

Why External Hiring is Great

There’s no doubt that internal hiring may be less time-consuming to begin with, but sometimes it’s worth spending a bit of extra time to get the optimal candidate from the start. One of the best things about external hiring is that you can reach a wide range of different candidates with varying skills that will help your organisation to grow. You are also able to bring new ideas and ways of working into your company to help avoid group think and becoming a place where things are always done the same because that’s how it’s always been done.

If you are worried about the time commitment of external hiring, there are plenty of ways to reduce the impact while reaping the rewards. One of the best ways is to work with a specialist recruitment firm that can help you to find exceptional candidates that meet your needs.

The Cons of External Hiring

As with all decisions, there are aspects you should consider before choosing to hire externally:

• Will the candidate fit into the organisation and be happy and productive with you? This is not always easy to determine during a hiring process, but it should be something that you think about before you offer a job.
• Do you have the infrastructure in place to train and support an external candidate so that they can succeed? Making sure that appropriate onboarding is in place will help you to get the most from your new recruits!

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look into the increasing demand for data scientists.

There is no denying that our economy is hugely dependent on lots of data, ever more so when we think about all the things we do these days with our computers, mobile phones and even doorbells. However, data collection is just one part of the puzzle, analysing the data quickly and accurately is the other part and that’s where data scientists come in.

What is Data Science?

Data Science is a world that brings together maths, programming, AI, analytics, machine learning and programming to get a greater insight into the data of a company and highlight how things work and where they may lead us. Data science is a broad term that covers all types of data work, including:

• Data Visualisation
• Data Mining
• Data Engineering
• Data Management
• Data Analysis
• And More!

As industry works to manage new technology and advanced data tools, reaching out to data scientists allows for a new path to advanced analysis, meaning that data scientists are hot property and look set to be an in-demand role for some time to come.

How Can Data Science Help My Organisation?

Data science can offer tremendous support to the work that is being done in your organisation right now. Some of the key ways that data science is being used includes:

• Predictive Work – using historical data and precedent, data scientists are working to predict future trends and needs for groups of people, for example in health, retail or defence. The Census 2021 is a great example of a huge data science exercise
• Evaluative Work – using data that is linked to a specific body of work, data scientists can evaluate the performance of your team and their work, highlighting areas that need greater investigation and those that are not worth pursuing at this time.

Whatever your organisation is focused on, you can be sure that investing in a data science team and tools will help to take your work to the next level!

Finding Great Data Scientists

Once you can see the need for data scientists in your organisation, you will be keen to locate the very best candidates for the roles. Want to know how to find the right people for the job? Start by looking for people that have skills such as:

• Statistical Analysis
• Data Analytics
• Coding Experience
• Algorithm Authorship
• High Quality Math Skills

By selecting candidates using these pointers, you are sure to end up with someone that will help you to revolutionise your findings and streamline your processes and applications.

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look at what Hirers should avoid next year!

As we cycle at a rapid rate to the end of another year, its typical for all of us to review the work/career challenges we have had and as a hiring manager one of the critical areas that raises its head is often our hiring mistakes.

Data suggests the cost of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the employee's first-year earnings and Jörgen Sundberg the well-known recruitment expert indicates that this figure is much higher.

A recent post in HRzone suggests this figure is closer to four times annual salary when you estimate opportunity cost. It's no wonder that the recruitment sector is growing as companies realise how costly poor recruiting can be.

As getting recruiting right is so critical, what do we need to stop doing first? In this post, we want to start the conversation.

Let's explore a couple of things first.

Poor interviewing ability is a common culprit, and we have covered that in another post here when it comes to hiring mistakes.

As you might expect, we have heard several hiring hell stories over the years!

Though some are random and ones where even the best interviewer or process wasn't at fault, others have a similar theme that we have shared below.

In our experience, in addition to poor interview skills, the following 5 areas are the significant issues when it comes to making a poor hire.

1. Desperate Recruiting

John has resigned, and you are left with a business-critical position to fill. Your department is cracking at the seams, and that OK person on Reed looks as though they 'could' fit in. STOP: Don't do it. It's a classic mistake that many people still make.
True we are all under pressure it seems today to get the job done in less time. This recruiting strategy is a disaster waiting to happen.

Though you now have someone in place are they right for the role? What about culture fit? Do they have the necessary skills? Which leads me to the next part.

2. A Poor Job Description

If you don't know precisely whom you are looking for you will never find them. It's common here at Malikshaw to start working with organisations who have created a woolly job description.

They have a vague list of the skills they need though very little else. Job descriptions communicated well will make all the difference between exceptional and terrible hires. If you want to find out more about how to create a good job description, read our post here.

3. Expecting Them to Turn into Superman or Superwoman

Though many business leaders are multitalented and can turn their hand to anything, not everyone has this ability. If shy Jade has been employed to handle back-office tasks, it's a big ask to get her on the phone to make a few commercial calls or handle customer complaints.

Likewise, if Rob is your hot shot, IT person, asking him also to co-ordinate the project management team will likely cause havoc, if it happens at all.

This leads back to recruiting the right person according to the job description we mentioned earlier.

4. Poor Culture Fit

Company culture and its development according to Deloitte will be pivotal to organisational growth in the next 10 years.

Let's be honest about it, all of us have either personally worked for an organisation where we were not happy or have a friend or family member who counts the days till Friday and dreads Monday morning.

One of the key reasons this happens is the organisational culture, they or we work in. This post is not about what a good culture is or isn't; it is about being able to identify who the type of person is that excels in your organisation.

If you have a work hard play hard culture where everyone stays late and then adjourns to the pub, this won't fit some people.

For instance, let's look at James a potential new hire.

He has a few skills that you are looking, though he is also not especially ambitious. What is important to him is getting home early so he can get to his woodworking class; he doesn't' 'do' pubs either.

Surrounded by people who are his exact opposite, do you think he is likely to stay? Probably not. Nathan isn't a 'bad' person, far from it. Though he wouldn't be a great hire for your organisation.

5. Not Using an Experienced Recruitment Organisation

Many organisations either have an internal recruiting team, which can work if they aren't overstretched, or they 'go it alone'. This usually is where the errors occur.

A recruitment company, like ourselves at Malikshaw, will have a specific process honed out; for instance, ours has multiple steps.

Why so much detail?

Effective recruitment is both about the process and the people; especially if you want to avoid mistakes 1-4; for example, let's talk about job descriptions.

We have recruited many people; we know what an effective job description looks like. Not all recruitment agencies do, especially those with less experience in the public sector.

Culture fit, superwoman/man syndrome are all challenges for hiring managers and usually are where the ball gets dropped.

Finally

If you are looking for your next role or to employ new talent into your organisation, we can help.

For more information on how we can help you become or 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

In the latest edition of our Unlocking Success series, we look at some great interview questions you should consider asking, or be prepared to answer...

Identifying the right job candidate in an interview takes preparation. Ideally, you want to ask each candidate the same set of questions so you can compare answers. And you already know you should stick to questions that relate to the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to do the job. But you also want to be able to identify the candidate's skill set and experience, as well as intangibles like communication skills.

Below are four common types of interview questions to ask a candidate that will help you get the information you need to make your hiring decision.

Discussion Interview Questions

Open-ended interview questions designed to encourage the job seeker to discuss their attitude or opinion fall into this category. “Tell me about yourself” is one of the most-used versions of this kind of question. However, in many ways, this question can be almost too open-ended. Without clear direction from the interviewer, you can end up hearing about topics that do not relate to job performance. Two discussion interview questions that can get you more information include:

What drew you to this position/working for our organisation? This question will reveal if a candidate has done their homework on your organisation. They know what kind of business you engage in and are sincerely interested. The answer can also reveal if there is a organisation value that the candidate is responding to – service, innovation, entrepreneurship. Job satisfaction surveys show that employees rate connection to a organisation’s mission above compensation.

What skills and strengths can you bring to this position? As a follow-up, this question can help you find out if the interviewee has considered how their skill set will match your business needs. Applicants should be able to think critically about how their abilities will benefit the organisation. This question can also surface any fundamental misunderstandings that may have occurred around the job description or highlight which part of the job description is most appealing to the candidate.

Informational Interview Questions

Simple, fact-based interview questions are an excellent way to get basic information about your candidate. Ideally, these require more than a yes/no answer. Balance your open-ended discussion questions above with questions that can help you confirm that the essential skills you saw on the candidate’s resume are present. These can set the stage for more complex questions too. Some examples include:

Are you comfortable working remotely?
Do you have social media experience?
Which version of QuickBooks have you used most recently?
Is there a project management system you like best?

Behavioural Interview Questions

A behavioural question asks the candidate to relate their past job experience to specific situations they are likely to encounter in the new position. Because these are hypothetical, there should not be an emphasis on a right or wrong answer to these questions. You are trying to get a sense of the interviewee’s less tangible skills like problem solving and communication. Here are a couple of specific examples of this type of interview question to ask:

Can you describe how you handle tight deadlines? How do you handle a missed deadline? Ask this interview question of a potential employee, and you will get their opinion as to how they deal with stress. This question also highlights communication and conflict resolution skills. For instance, no one wants to inform a supervisor or client about a missed deadline, but it happens. How would your candidate handle that situation?

Tell us about a time you went above and beyond for a work project. This question can elicit very positive reactions from the employee. It is useful to see what they might be proud of and how they describe overcoming challenges. This question is also a good one to use when checking employee references.

Non-Traditional Interview Questions

Employers have used these types of interview questions to see if the applicant can “think outside the box”. We have all heard versions of these like “How many golf balls would fit in a Boeing 747?” Rather than ask something quite that odd, a couple of non-traditional questions that could prove useful are:

What is the most interesting project you have worked on? This question can help you determine if the applicant would enjoy the work available at your organisation. For instance, do the types of tasks they find fulfilling align with the job description for your position? You want to find an employee who will stay and grow with the organisation’s needs.

If you could have anyone in our industry as a mentor, who would you choose and why? The answer can tell you if the candidate has a long-term commitment to and learning mindset about their work. Is there a QuickBooks blog that they follow? A sales and human behavior author that is interesting to them? Used in place of the expected “Where do you see yourself in five years,” this question can reveal what the candidate is genuinely interested in and wants to learn more about.

As a result of using these four types of interview questions, you will narrow the field to the candidate who is the right hire for your position. Need a refresher on what interview questions to avoid? Please reach out and we will be delighted to share these with you.

Finally

If you are looking to employ new talent into your Public Sector organisation, these are the questions you should think about asking.

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