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GREAT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

The interview should be a two way process, so take the opportunity to ask questions. Ask great questions and make yourself stand out from the other candidates.

Question 1: Can you elaborate on the day-to-day responsibilities this job entails?

This is a good question to ask the hiring manager. The answer will be important for you to take into consideration as you determine whether or not this job is the right fit for you. You can follow this question on with something like:
Out of the three main day to day responsibilities that you have outlined, what percentage of time is spent doing each one?

Question 2: What are the characteristics of someone who would succeed in this role?

Ask this question to the hiring manager or others on the interview panel who you might work with if you accept the job. Their answers will quickly give you an idea of the qualities they hope to see in the person they hire.

Question 3: What's the most important thing I could do to be success in the first 60 days?

With this question, you're showcasing your desire and ability to contribute from day one. It's a good one to ask of the hiring manager.

Question 4: What are some of the challenges you've seen in this position?

During your interviews, you want to get a clear-eyed view of what this job is like — why it's hard and rewarding at the same time. Getting your interviewers' perspectives on potential hurdles will give you a holistic picture.

Question 5: If I were in this job, how would my performance be measured?

In your interview with the hiring manager, ask this question to get more specific about how you can succeed in this job. The answer to this question will be helpful to you even if you don't get the job — you may be able to use the insights they share to identify new areas of professional development.

Question 6: What does the career path for someone in this role look like?

Another one for the hiring manager. This question can signal your interest in growing at this company.

Question 7: What other functions or departments does this teamwork with most often?

This is an important question if the company you're interviewing with is a large or mid-sized business. Knowing how to collaborate will be a crucial part of your ability to do the job.

8. What would my first week at work look like?

9. How does this role contribute to your organization's success?

10. Can you tell me about the team I'd be working with?

Questions to ask about the company
In addition to those questions about the specific job, you can leverage the research you've done beforehand to ask questions that showcase your interest in the company and industry. Here are some examples:

Question 11: What do you like best about working here?

This question can be a casual way to engage your interviewer on a personal level while gaining valuable insights into their experience with the company. If appropriate, be sure to respond to their answer with examples of why you believe this type of environment is a great fit for your personality and working style.

Question 12: Who do you see as your biggest competitor and why?

This question can show that you have an interest in the bigger picture of the company and industry. It can also be an opportunity for you to share that you did research on the company by following up the interviewer's response with what you found when you looked into this before the interview.

Question 13: What challenges has this company faced in the last few years? What challenges do you anticipate in the coming years?

This is a great question if you're interviewing with managers or senior leadership. It shows your interest in the performance of the company and can give you insight into the pain points they experience. If applicable, you can follow up their response by any experience you bring to the table that can help with these pain points/challenges.

Question 14: What changes or innovations in the industry are you most excited about?

This question allows you to see how passionate the interviewer is about this company and industry. It also gives you the opportunity to follow up with what excited you the most about the industry during your research or through your past experience.

More questions to ask your interviewer about the company:

15. What is your company's biggest problem?

16. How frequently do employees make themselves available outside of business hours?

17. How are employees recognized for a job well done?

18. Do you have a mentor system in place?

Questions to ask about the culture
This is a great opportunity for you to learn if the company culture is in alignment with the type of culture you're seeking. You might consider researching the type of company culture you're most interested in beforehand.

Question 19: How would you describe the company culture?

This is a great, straightforward question to hear about how the interviewer would describe the company's culture. Interviewers will often speak to what they like most about the culture, so it's great to ask this question to multiple people throughout the interview process to get a holistic view of the culture.

Question 20: What are the most important values of your company?

Companies often have missions or values that drive the decisions, attitudes and goals of the company. Knowing and understanding these values can give you great insight into the type of culture that's set.

Question 21: What are examples of company events?

The answer to this question will give you insight into if the company promotes camaraderie amongst the employees and what type of events they celebrate.

Question 22: How would you describe the office environment?

You can better understand the culture of a company by knowing how employees would describe the office environment. For example, an open seating floor plan and couches/areas to congregate and hang out in promote a more casual atmosphere.

Submit your CV and let us help you.

Tel: 01254781300

Web: www.serlimited.com

Your Career, Your Future,
Your Choice.

HOW TO NAIL THAT INTERVIEW

Its key to remember that any interview should be a two-way process. You need to make sure that the company is right for you, as much as the company makes sure that you are right for them.

There are several things that you can do in order to give yourself the very best opportunity of getting that job offer and helping you to really understand the business and the opportunity so you can decide, "are they right for me?"

Understand the position
This may sound simple, however work with the recruitment consultant to really understand the role. Things like who are the main customers, where is the company heading in the next 2 or 3 years. What skills are a must for the role and out of the top three duties how much time will be spent on each one during the course of a month?

The Interview Process
Make sure you understand what the full interview process is. Are their skill tests involved? Do you need to complete psychrometric tests and most important of all, who are you meeting and what is their background? Use the social media platform Linkedin to "look up" the person interviewing you, where have they worked, what's their background?

Dress, Smoke and Drink!
Make sure you dress appropriately. Ideally business suit. Speak to the recruiter and ask them, ideally what is the client looking for appearance wise at this interview stage/
Remember if you smoke, don't smoke prior to the interview. Finally, don't drink the night before and certainly not on the day. You are not going to get that job order smelling of booze.

Preparation
At least look at and read the companies website. Understand who their main Clients are and their target business. How many branches, employees, turnover? Th more information you know about them the better you will be to handle questions, show your interest and most importantly make an informed decision as to if they are right for you.

Everyone Counts once you are there
Its important to impress everyone once you arrive. Build rapport with the receptionist, security, whoever you see as you just never know who they know and speak to within that business.

Important of Rapport
Before the formal questions start, try to build rapport with the interviewer. This starts in reception when you come to greet you. Use open questions to build rapport and lighten up the situation. Try questions such as:
Do you live locally?
What is the car parking like around here?
What is the traffic like in the morning?
How long have you been working here?
Where did you work previously?
Why did you join the company?

During the Interview *IMPORTANT*
Make sure you have some great questions to ask, and not the run of the mill, "what training do I get?" or "How much are you paying?", ask questions that will get the interviewers attention, try:

• Why did you join the business?
• What does the next 2 or 3 years look like for the business, business growth wise?
• How do you think I will fit into the business from a personal point of view?
• Why has the business been successful?
• What future contracts are in the pipeline?
• What type of people really succeed here.. attitude wise?
• What success stories have you got for the passed couple of years?

Close the Interview
Its important that you "close" the interview in a professional manner that highlights that you are keen to be considered, good examples are:

• "Thank you for your time today, just to let you know I have really enjoyed the interview, I feel like I could make a real impact in the business. I'm keen to progress to the next stage, how does that work?
• Do you have any reservations about me? – remember to handle any reservations there and then.
• Is there anything that I could have done better or anything that I have said that is of concern?

Notes
Make notes before the interview. Write down your questions. Doesn't be afraid to refer to your note pad to ask those questions. It shows that you are prepared and care.

Evidence
Take certificates, awards, references etc with you. You may don't need to show them but the more supporting evidence you have the better prepared you are in case they do ask.

Tel: 01254781300

Web: www.serlimited.com

Your Career, Your Future,
Your Choice.

It's all about how we can save YOU time and money in your recruitment process

• Recruitment Agencies are much of a muchness? They all do the same thing... badly...
• Sending loads of CVs for candidates who aren't relevant
• Sending CVs of candidates who aren't even interested in the position
• Arranging interviews for people who simply aren't right
• Poor communication
• Don't fill half of the requirements you give them

Do any of these strike a cord? .. Probably.. so how does a GOOD recruitment agency add value to your recruitment process and more importantly save you time and money?

Passive and new candidates
We reach out to new "passive" candidates all the time, we are continually building our candidate network even when you are not recruiting. This means that unlike online Job Board adverting and the associated databases where the same candidate CVs keep popping up, we are speaking to and building new connections so that when you are recruiting, fresh talent is able to view and consider your opportunity instantly.

Proactive in our nature
We work hard on your behalf proactively contacting candidates and marketing your opportunity to them. Our job is part sales and part marketeer. We take your vacancy and model it to grab attention and inspire people to respond. Good people are in demand, good recruiters ensure that your message stands out for the dozens of weekly approaches.

We only send relevant and interested candidates – (they all say that – but we do)
Here at SER Ltd we work with Clients and benchmark our service. If we send relevant CVs then we pay you for wasting your time !

This way you are only viewing and giving feedback on candidates that matter, a far better service to you and the candidates. We remember that if we speak to a candidate about a position with your company then we need to provide the level of customer services to them that you would expect. A bad candidate experience with SER, could mean that candidate has a bad candidate experience with you also.

Can we replace your internal recruiter?
If you don't hire too much and the roles in the main are highly specialist could we save you the cost of an internal recruiter over a 12month period? Good recruiters are worth their weigh in gold in a candidate driven market. They let you know when good talent is potentially available, they let you know when someone is leaving a competitor, they market your business continually, they can let you know what your competitors are doing recruitment wise, salary wise. They can respond quickly to business changes and fill gaps in your workforce fast.

Save you Time
This is probably the main reason why agencies remain the main calling point for recruitment.
With connections and databases to hand built up over years and years of networking, advertising and direct approaching. Specialist recruiters in most cases offer the fastest solutions.

We also save time through:

• Initial candidate screening and interviewing
• Referencing and vetting candidates
• Administration duties – Right to work checks, DBS checks, Driving Licence checks
• We arrange interviews and bring together feedback
• Broker salary requirements and offers of employment
• Tackle handing in notices and important dealing with employer counter offers

Guarantee Period or Rebate Period
We put our money where our mouth is and offer a rebate period over the first 3 months. This means that if your chosen hire leaves within the first 12 weeks for whatever reason we will give you all or a percentage of the fee you paid back. Meaning we carry some of the risk. It's in our best interest to find you only the most suitable candidate.

So above is a guide to what we can offer you and how we save you time and money in your recruitment process. They are also a few things that we do which ensure's that we deliver:

We need to chat at the start – a fair bit really
It's key that we really understand you and your recruitment plan. Not just the skills that you are looking for, but the person, motivators, culture and what their will need to be a success in your organisation. It can take up to an initial 30 minutes conversation for us to gain all the information. Obviously if we can meet at your offices then that's even better as we can feel first hand what the culture and environment is like. Even the small things are important, such as how easy your offices are the find and what the car parking facilities are.

Pressure
We are Consultants and so like to consult but we will never put pressure on you to meet a candidate, like wise we never put pressure on a candidate to attend an interview. We do however highlight issues, if we feel they are being overlooked or a candidate holds a certain skill but has failed to outline that on their CV.

Throw some CVs at it!
Some vacancies will generate more CVs then others, but good recruiters are able to screen candidates effectively and ensure that you only see the very best applications. We never just fire CVs over to you and hope !

Feedback
Some feedback is good and some feedback is bad, we talk to you no matter what the feedback is.

For further information on how SER Limited can save you time and money in your recruitment process, please call our office on 01254 781300 or email info@serlimited.com

Uncertainty can lead to Temporary Solutions

As we have seen in previous economic downturns and times of business uncertainty the hiring of full-time employees is hit significantly. What has been show time and time again however is that temporary staffing levels rise, particularly as the recovery process begins. Although the Coronavirus crisis has and will have a very different affect to the economy if we look at how the last recession affected employment then statistics revealed that the number of temporary hires continued to increase for more then 40 consecutive months after the recession ended (Bureau of Labour Statics)

This shift will cause some very unique problems for both hiring managers and recruitment agencies alike. Currently in the main technical and engineering sectors redundancies are not happening, largely due to the government's furloughed worker scheme, so the skill shortages are still there, it's a case of the business is on hold. So as we hopefully move out of the crisis where is the additional labour going to come from that will allows companies to push on quicker and harder in order to drive work in and out as quickly as possible and put themselves back on a firm footing?

You also have to consider what this crisis will do to current employee's who were potentially open to hearing about alternative career prospects. Are they going to "sit tight" now, just in case another outbreak happens?

Mix the above factors in with employers uncertainly (will we have another outbreak) and we have the temporary marketplace massively increasing in demand.

But still the question remains – Where can I find these skilled people?

Working with specialist Recruitment agencies can assist. Proven databases of temporary and contract engineers of all levels of experience are invaluable. However as is the case with supply and demand its important to act as quick as possible once some or all of the current restrictions are lifted.

Telephone 01254 781300 for our Temporary or Contract Recruitment Team

www.serlimited.com

** Register a Requirement here **

The vetting process and in particularly the temporary staffing process has been given a slight lift of red paper due to the government's relaxation of the Right to Work checks. Timing wise this could be a massive help in the coming months as companies look to bring orders back in line and ramp up output to close the supply line short falls.

In the first instance the changes are temporary and come about due to the coronavirus and the effects it is having on interviewing face to face. The drive is now video calls which obviously means seeing and copying "hard" documents difficult.

The changes mean that during the coronavirus outbreak prospective workers are now able to submit scanned documents, rather than originals, to show they have a right to work.

However, the government added that checks continue to be necessary and it is an offence to knowingly employ or let property to anyone who does not have legal immigration status in the UK.

The change has gone as certain sectors such as food production and food resellers now need to hire people on the spot and get them onto the front line in record speed. With the old process the on boarding could take weeks with right to work checks and DBS checks out of recruiter's hands to a great extent. This said we must remember that the amendments are for checking documents via video and the reminder of the process in still the same.

Its great practice to currently hold video interviews and on boarding chats via video, and use the Employer Checking Service when possible and of course gain the potential employees permission to do these checks. If possible record any video chats, and certainly any on boarding process were the employee can hold up their right to work documentation which can be clearly seen and then record in their personal file that the check was made via video. Further back this up by photo copies that can be sent via email, sms or apps such as WhatsApp.

As these adjusted right to work checks are temporary, recruitment agencies and employers will need to make sure they conduct the normal full checks once the temporary measures come to an end. The end date is not known, but employers and recruitment agencies should continue to check the government website and guidance for this announcement.

Importantly, once the temporary Covid-19 measures end, employers and recruitment agencies will need to carry out full retrospective checks within eight weeks of the measures ending for all staff that were checked by the temporary right to work checks. Both the temporary adjustments and the full right to work checks should be kept for recruitment agencies and employers records.

The government guidance has also made clear that the Home Office will not take any enforcement action against any employer that carried out an adjusted check in line with the guidance and then followed up with a full retrospective check. If a recruitment agency or employer discover upon the retrospective full right to work check that the employee does not have permission to be in the UK then they absolutely must end their employment without delay.

With many employees being made redundant, furloughed or put on short-time working, even small steps to help employers take on new staff are important. This is particularly the case given that many employers who are in a position to take on new staff now will be doing so to help deal with coronavirus-related issues eg. the supermarkets hiring more shelf-stackers. Any steps the government can take to speed up this process will be welcome to hard-pressed employers in the current emergency.

Interested in Temporary Hiring ?
SER Ltd
01254 781300 / info@serlimited.com
www.serlimited.com
National Service Provider in temporary staffing solutions

Low Cost, High Return Adverts

£150 per online advert that will get your advert onto all the leading online job boards including:

• CV Library
• Indeed
• Reed
• Totaljobs

There are many different recruitment methods that can be used. Each method of course has its place and what works for one position won't always work for a different position.

Online advertising is a great example. If done correctly it will almost always provide you with a number of candidates to consider. They may not always be the top performers, but it will always give you a good cross section to consider at a fraction of the price compared to some other recruitment methods.

What are the Benefits?

Time: Simply email us a copy of the Job Specification or Job Advert, we will amend if required and then post onto the leading online job boards. Saving you significant time compared to having to approach each job board individually, agreed a price, pay and post your advert.

Money: Our cost of £150 per advert is significantly cheaper then if you were to go to each job board directly.

Organisation: All the responses come to us and each day we send you one single email with a zip file attached continuing the last 24hours worth of applications received.

Guarantee: If your advert doesn't deliver over 12 applications then you get your money back. No ifs No buts, straight back. Obviously we can't control the quality of applications, so if you are looking for a Pink Unicorn then this may not be quite the right recruitment method for you.

30 Days Payment: Our standard payment terms are 30days so no need to pay upfront.

To Place a Advert
Email – info@serlimited.com
Call – SER Limited - 01254 781300

Reference – Place a Job Advert

Cheers Linkedin!

Like so many online platforms the business and career networking platform Linkedin has seen a massive boost in traffic to the site as a direct result of more people working from home across the UK. Linkedin have released a stat saying the increase in conversational activity between connections has risen by 55%, therefore to further enhance and provide what they feel is going to be a demand within their site, Linkedin are introducing new features specifically built around their job hunting and searching sections.

Firstly, essential businesses such as Warehousing, Supermarkets and Healthcare will be able to post job adverts for free on the site. Supporting companies to attract the people they need in this crisis in a cost effective way.

These jobs will also be given a new "urgent" status, giving them top exposure and appearing top of any search results, a model used extensively by the Indeed platform but at a sponsored click charge.

These free ads will also link up with an expanded Recruiting for Good program to help bring in more people to work with non-profits in both volunteer and paid roles. And those doing the recruiting will also get three months of free access to LinkedIn's talent insights tools to figure out where their (free) ads are best placed around hiring trends and more.

This incentive is another demonstration of how tech companies are providing what support they can to companies in these crisis times. Maybe not in the same way as Google's fast track testing, but certainly beneficial to the right organisations.

If you are interested to hear how SER Limited as a recruitment partner can help you attract staff in these difficult times then please drop us a line at info@serlimited.com or call our recruitment team on 01254 781300

We are working with companies across the UK:

• Reduced introduction fees
• Better rebate periods
• Temporary staffing via quick registration process
• Greatly extended payment terms
• Flexible working guidance

Case Study: EE
ICT Recruitment: Telecoms

About EE

The largest and most advanced digital communications company in Britain, EE also commit themselves to being the UK's most trusted digital communication organisation.
Trust builds from people and ensuring that they are represented by the right people is as important to EE as any company, whatever size.
They understand that the key to their success is that their employees are happy, motivated and engaged, and achieving this helped them gain awards:

• The Sundays Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2016

1. Best Companies 3* Accreditation for Workplace Engagement

With over 15,000 employees they create a brilliant workplace and believe that they will only achieve their company vision if they get this right. With the belief that finding and keeping the best talent and investing in their people is so important – they ensure that their recruitment procedures align with their company ethos.
Within the UK, EE have operated a franchise scheme since 2010. 50 stores are already operating this way and EE are always looking at possibilities of expanding this. They look for individuals who are passionate about their customers and maintaining their prestigious brand and brand values.

How did EE come to work with SER?

Linkedin can be a fantastic tool for connecting the right people at the right time and none more so that when contact was made with EE to find out if they had any recruitment needs.
SER Ltd took the time to find out about EE and understand the way they operate in terms of recruitment within their franchised branches.
After a level of trust and understanding was established and EE could be certain that SER could align with their recruitment ethos, brand values and could find the correct candidates for them, EE introduced them to each of the franchise branches across the UK.
This introduction came just in time for some EE franchises that were struggling to find the right talent, at the right time and were receiving very little support from their current recruitment agency

How did SER find the right candidates for EE?

Being tasked to deliver talented candidates with a wealth of relevant experience, all within a tight time frame, SER Ltd tailored their approach to suit EE and set to work on finding them the very best talent around.
Browsing the database of talent, adopting a strong social media strategy, which included talent mapping and a branded referral incentive scheme, candidate interest in the positions grew.
All interested candidates received a comprehensive information pack and benefit sheet to allow them to see the vision of EE's company and what the role would include. Telephone screening ran along side, to ensure that remuneration, attitude and skills fit.
Following initial telephone screenings and taking into consideration the geographical spread of prospects, video interviews commenced, which helped to identify key facts about each candidate including their management style, people skills and previous experience.
EE were presented with a concise list of talented candidates, all with the experience that had been requested, and within the desired time scale. It's not often that a company is presented with such good candidates that they create new roles just so they don't loose the talent, but in this case, EE did just that and recruited 3 candidates for what started out as 2 jobs.
EE were more than satisfied with the success of finding the high quality employees they needed all whilst utilising less of their resources.

Case Study: Capital Environmental
Built Environment: Asbestos in New Zealand

About Capital Environmental
In New Zealand (NZ), there are employment laws in place to help keep workplaces fair and regulations are in place that means that positions have to be advertised in New Zealand and Australia, before they can be assigned to a UK recruitment agency.
The UK is approximately 15 years ahead of NZ within the asbestos industry: therefore it is no surprise that the levels of qualifications are higher.
Asbestos service related skills have been commonly difficult to obtain over the years in NZ so Capital Environmental Services have developed and implemented a robust and documented internal training process for all their staff.
CES, who have been carrying out IANZ accredited asbestos services in the Wellington region and throughout NZ for more than 25 years, approached SER Ltd to assist them finding the right candidates after they were unable to find suitable employees on home soil.

How did Arcus come to work with SER and how did SER find the right candidates for the job?
SER identified candidates who were ideal for the role and talked them through the process that would be involved if they got the position.
Changing employers is a big decision for anyone, in fact its one of the biggest decisions you will ever make, so imagine the scale of that decision when it involves travelling more than 10,000 miles, moving your family, leaving other family and friends behind and adjusting to a new way of living, in a place you don't know very well.
Time differences meant that interviews had to take place between 6-8am GMT via Skype.
Offer letters for successful candidates arrived with supporting documents for VISA applications, which allowed that candidates to commence the process, which can take up to 6 months to complete.
SER have a sound understanding of the process and are always available for the candidate to ask any questions that are needed while they are undergoing their visa application, medicals and arranging for personal belonging to be delivered / transported to their new homes.

What did Capital Environmental say about working for SER?
"Excellent services, great to deal with, very professional and helpful, Thanks SER."

What candidates who have made to move to NZ have said about SER?
"SER were extremely helpful throughout the whole interview & immigration process, their sound advice made what seemed like a daunting feat a breeze. I would definitely recommend SER's services for anyone considering a move to New Zealand"
Candidate, Daniel Cameron

"SER found my CV online and contacted me to fill a role in New Zealand. They encouraged me along the way, regularly provided feedback which really helped me make my big move. Throughout the whole process they always found me to answer any question I had, with no question too small, and provided great communication with my future employer. SER are very approachable and treat their job with passion and dedication. I am very excited to start my new career! Thank you SER for providing this once in a life me opportunity"
Candidate, Martyna Rozycka

"SER helped me find a job in New Zealand and were extremely helpful. Their communiction between me and my perspective employer was excellent, they made the process very easy and without stress."
Candidate, Rebecca Lloyd

 Telecommunications
Sales Professionals for a new regional branch
2017 through to 2018

IceComms was established in 2008 and has grown year on year through the relationships that they have developed with both customers and suppliers alike

Over the years they have worked hard to keep their customers happy, through their strong network relationships, and the importance that they put on staff training and development.

During the initial discussions with IceComms it became clear that they were tired of the same old recruitment agent approach and had been inundated with unsolicited approaches from recruiters promising to deliver the earth.

Everyone said they were different yet no one delivered anything different were the words that Duncan the Sales Manager for the North used. Key problems included constantly battling with recruiters over poor quality candidates who were not right for the role or good candidates dropping out of the recruitment process due to being mislead or informed incorrectly about the vacancies by none specialist recruiters.

The first part in the process for SER Ltd was to meet with IceComms at their offices in Manchester. Understand the culture and the reasons why current employees chose them. SER Ltd was keen to position IceComms as an employer of choice.

Once the benefits of working for IceComms were established the features of the role were developed through an extremely detailed job order form. By knowing the benefits and features Hal and the recruitment resource team at SER Ltd were able to start proactively approaching the very best people in the area, and not just the best available.

_________________________
"All in all I couldn't recommend Hal and SER Ltd enough for services as a recruiter and recruitment company. He holds great industry knowledge and connections. SER Ltd is now my first port of call for recruitment and always very receptive to our specialist requirements."
Duncan – Sales Manager
_________________________

SER Ltd was keen to position IceComms as an employer of choice.
_________________________

Proactively approaching the very best people in the area, and not just the best available.
_________________________

The hires made have been great assets to the business
_________________________