Hands up, I am not very good at listening to myself and the advice I often give to others.  I am a bit of a magnet for other people’s problems and challenges.  It just happens that way, most likely because I care about what happens to my friends, my colleagues and my family.  A lot of people would say that I am not a great advert for self-care.  I can worry for England, although that doesn’t stop me from taking on new people projects and that’s usually when I’m at my busiest.  It’s been a hectic month.

You may have guessed already that I’ve been a little preoccupied with client work and other stuff.  I even missed my own self-imposed Glastonbury reference this year.  But what is there to say that’s not been said before when you’re the girl who’s first 45rpm single cost 6/4d in the local sweet shop?  And yes, it was “Please, please me” by the Beatles and yes, I did watch Paul McCartney on TV from a comfy chair with a cuppa.  Fabulous additions by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.

This post came to me while I was creating some back-to-basics gems yesterday.  That may have been in the context of recruitment, although it’s a great concept that often gets forgotten.  Our lives, the things we do, our aspirations and even the food we eat has become complicated.  Come on, own up, who’s got pomegranate molasses in their larder?  What happened to beans on toast?  I caught a glimpse of a popular TV programme earlier and think I heard something about salmon and broccoli being more popular with children than spaghetti hoops on toast.

So, what are the basics of recruitment?  What should be the beans on toast equivalent.  Well, for me it’s keeping simple things simple.  A recruiting manager has a vacancy and selects the most suitable candidate to fill it from those who show interest.  The process should be fair and there should be no discrimination.  Happy days.

Over time complexity has been added and some things taken away.  We’ve got organic or low sugar baked beans in the same way that some recruitment processes have taken on a life of their own.  Sometimes it seems that the technology which was supposed to speed up recruitment is slowing it down, as more stages are added.  Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean we need it.

Today I’m leading the charge (no surprises).  Let’s help recruitment find its feet again and here are some of my ideas.  It’s time to:

·       Put candidates at the heart of the process – you need them to love you

·       Help candidates to understand your processes and timelines

·       Create interest in your organisation from the audience perspective

·       Work with partners who challenge your thinking and don’t always agree

·       Create jobs that people will want to do

·       Describe jobs in ways that people will understand – whatever their starting point

·       Be practical – what can you afford?

·       Recognise strengths and create opportunities

·       Design processes which help people shine

·       Remember that you began your career without experience

If you’d like to chat about beans on toast, your first record purchase (or music download) or all things recruitment Let’s talk