5 Deadly Mistakes that Clients Make in the Facilities Industry that Cost them Great Talent

When it comes to recruiting nowadays, companies wanting the very best FM professionals have some steep competition. The ideal employee for your company is likely to be someone else’s too.

To make sure they choose you, it’s vital that you avoid the five extremely common mistakes that can drive your ideal employee to look somewhere else. 

Not branding the company well enough for future staff

The majority of companies tend to focus all of their marketing efforts on their customers but forget the importance of employer branding.

Some people just want a job and are happy to accept anything that comes their way. But these aren’t the kind of workers you’re looking for. The most ambitious and determined employees will accept the role based on what they can find out about your company.

In fact, a survey by Redshift Research recently found that company reviews have a great bearing on the recruitment process. A huge 83% of job seekers said that employer reviews influenced where they chose to apply for jobs and a further 46% said the company’s reputation had a significant impact on whether or not they accepted the job offer.

By only marketing their services, and not themselves as an employer, clients can miss out on the best candidates – and that even applies to household names. Your website should show potential applicants the company’s guiding values and principles as well as describing the company culture and listing positive employer reviews.

You can build great careers at great companies – FM professionals know that more than most. So, let’s get the branding right before we get the right man or woman. 

Not knowing the role

The majority of employers looking for FM professionals don’t specialise in it themselves.

Our clients come from a range of different sectors and backgrounds. But that doesn’t mean the interviewer can get away with not knowing the role and the responsibilities properly.

The perfect candidate will have a lot of questions, and an unprepared interviewer will definitely make them lose confidence in you as an employer.

The most experienced candidates know that their interview is all about the employer finding out if they’re right for the role. So if the interviewer doesn’t know all the details of the job, the skills they’ll need to perform it, or details about the facility they’ll be managing, then the candidate will doubt their ability to make the match to get the perfect candidate into the perfect role.

Even if the employers aren’t experts in Facilities Management, not learning about the position beforehand shows a lack of respect for the interviewee’s time. They will be left wondering “if you can’t make the effort to educate yourself about the role and it’s your decision who to hire, how chaotic and disorganised will this company be to work for?”

For the best FM professionals, this can be a deal breaker.

Not taking notes in the interview

An interviewer not taking notes is the candidate’s equivalent of staring out of the window throughout the entire meeting.

Unless you expressly tell the interviewee that have a photographic memory, chances are they’ll feel like they’re not being taken seriously. The kind of observant candidate you’re looking for will almost definitely notice a lack of interest on the interviewer’s part.

Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half International, says “if you don’t focus on the interview you could be driving a great candidate away.”

Taking an active part in the interview and making notes of interviewee responses will make your candidates feel fairly treated and properly respected.

Not jumping on talent

Experienced and talented Facilities Managers are in high demand. Leaving long delays after a candidate has completed your application form or taking too long to reach a decision following the interview could cost you the attention of the most talented applicants.

The best candidates will be applying to multiple jobs, and no doubt will receive offers from other employers. Being prompt throughout the hiring process is absolutely crucial.

It can be difficult for employers to both manage the recruitment process and candidate communication as well as running their business. That’s why working with a recruitment company is so important. They not only find premium talent but are proven experts at communicating with you and your applicants during the hiring process.

Making it sound too good to be true – give an accurate job description

We all know that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That’s a big reason why so many companies miss out on the top candidates.

The top talent make their decisions wisely and generally don’t fall for unrealistic job descriptions. Often, employers try to oversell the role and the company in an attempt to attract more applications. Then when they start, the job and company are then vastly different to what they expected. At the same time, underselling the company can drive away the more ambitious and determined candidates looking to further their careers.

Remaining down to earth is the only way a company can get the best candidates. By giving potential employees a real look at the company and staff, you are able to level with them instead of trying to get them there at all costs. Your applicants know there will be challenges in their role and the most talented employees will rise to them with passion, drive, and commitment.

The type of employee you want for your business is smart enough to see through the usual tricks. By marketing yourself as an employer and showing that you respect employees, you won’t miss out on the best talent.

Maxwell Stephens is the leading facilities management recruitment agency in the UK, serving clients and candidates successfully since 2006. If you’re looking for a new role, or you have a vacancy you need filling with the very best talent, please call us on 0207 118 48 48 or email info@maxwellstephens.com

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As facilities management recruitment experts; Maxwell Stephens endeavours to share our knowledge and provide you with realistic and relevant information on the industry.

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