Insights

 We live in a world of continued economic uncertainty and an ongoing squeeze on public finances.  FE salaries do not seem to align with other education sector professionals and candidates are becoming increasingly less likely to move jobs. The pandemic also hardened thinking in terms of work and lifestyle balance, with many employees seeking to retain the benefits of working from home and over 60% of employers now offering some form of hybrid working. Alongside this, there is promise of new legislation that is likely to enhance worker employment rights and the reclassification of FE that challenges the flexibility to pay what is needed to secure the right skills. Given the tight operating budgets that FE works within and unions pushing the boundaries of what is affordable, there has never been a more challenging time in which to secure the best talent at the right price. It is also important to realise that this is not exclusively an FE issue, it is a national challenge across all sectors of the recruitment market: quite a backdrop.

So, the question is, if the market is depressed and there is less talent to go around, how do you position your college to secure the best talent in today’s FE market?

The first and perhaps most important factor to recognise is that today’s FE recruitment market is candidate led. This means that candidates drive the market; it is no longer about what an organisation needs, but what the market will deliver. The second key factor is that market roles become more standardised over time in candidate led markets. As colleges become bigger, having a unique role built around an individual’s skill set will put you at a distinct disadvantage. The third part of the jigsaw relates to understanding that you must develop recruitment and selection strategies that are built around the candidate and not centred around what your college/board/selection committee have always done. It is essential to build an engagement strategy that attracts candidates in a different way.

Let’s be honest, having two-day selection panels, taking references ahead of appointments, candidates meeting each other, limited candidate feedback and a looseness in terms of confidentiality comes with risk for the candidate and is not conducive to an exceptional candidate experience. Given this, it is incumbent on the recruiting college to build an engagement strategy and process that will deliver an exceptional candidate experience that equally balances your needs with those of the candidate. Listed below are a few suggestions that may help.

Developing your Job and Person Specification:

Many job and person specifications are written in a functional frame rather than strategic and they can often be overly long. A specification that lists everything the role is likely to touch presents you as a functional organisation and this can be a turn off for senior leaders. The narrative needs to be expansive, bold and looking to the future, which is far more attractive.

It is also essential to ensure the person specification is truly inclusive to ensure you maximise the diversity of experiences that exist across the market. In reality, there are many roles (Chief Executive, Finance, IT, MIS, People, Estates), that can be successfully undertaken by people outside of the FE sector, who will bring new ideas, ways of working and often drive the innovation and commercial thinking you might need.

Understand the Gaps and Know Your Risk Profile:

Over the past 10 years, the FE sector has not invested in its future leaders as well as it might and there are senior candidates coming through the ranks with gaps in their experience and skills. It is becoming increasingly important for colleges to understand where a role can be flexed to accommodate this. Certain posts around curriculum and quality will be well defined, but there should be clarity from the outset about where you are prepared to take a little more risk/drive innovation. This is particularly relevant when appointing to a CE/Principal post as many of those stepping up from a DP (C&Q) post, may not have always have developed the key expertise across finance, stakeholder management, board engagement and commercial appreciation. A lot will depend on your immediate ELT as to how much you can flex accordingly. It is essential to know or to be advised as to what the market will present, rather than expecting the market to deliver exactly what you are seeking. Sometimes the two are not aligned, so preparing to be flexible in advance is beneficial.

Headhunting:

As we know, advertising is a scattergun approach to recruitment and is not recommended on its own for senior posts. Building a relationship with a proven executive search company that is prepared to get to know you and understands the current market is essential. They will be your eyes and ears throughout and will represent you in the market, so it is advisable to choose carefully. If you are looking at a new partner, then do your due diligence and take references. A good previous appointment doesn’t always mean it was a great experience for the college, or the candidates and your reputation is everything.

The Selection Process:

Having worked across FE for over 10 years we have seen all types of recruitment processes and there are some key factors to consider when building a process that works for you as well as the candidate:

• Confidentiality is essential to any good process. Very few candidates will disclose to their line manager that they are interviewing for another post. The fact is, it can change the relationship (trust, commitment etc).
• A one-day process is sufficient to make an informed decision and only the key decision makers need to be involved. A two-day process will put some candidates off applying and, in all honesty, they often include candidates that are making up the numbers. At final panel you should only ever have three or four shortlisted candidates.
• Candidates should never meet each other on the day and again this relates to the confidentiality of their application. It is also decidedly off-putting for the candidate to meet their competition and besides its not very professional. I know this has stopped people applying for posts in the past.
• Any staff panels must be managed properly as people are often likely to make emotive decisions in favour of their preferred candidate rather than who is the best person for the job. We tend to find that student panels are particularly good, as they have fewer preconceived ideas and cut through the issues more quickly.
• References should only be taken on the candidate that is offered the post after they have resigned. Doing this ahead of the final selection risks the confidential nature of the process and getting back to point one, candidates may not have informed their line manager. This approach is well embedded across the public sector, but that is changing and has no place when we operate in a candidate driven market.
• Build in time for the candidates to engage with key stakeholders and staff members. This includes a one-to-one with the person who will be their line manager, be this ahead of final panel or on the day.
• Decisions don’t need to be made on the day. Take your time and include the key people, regrouping if you need to on another day. A split decision needs time to be digested and it may be that bringing one or even two candidates back for a second stage interview, in a less formal environment, elicits additional information that is key.

What to do if it Goes Wrong:

Firstly, don’t panic, there is always a solution. With all good intentions, processes don’t always go to plan and candidate management over the past few years has become increasingly difficult (for example, last minute withdrawals). This is not an FE specific phenomenon and is now a real issue across all business and public sectors post-Covid. The ideal scenario is to have a contingency plan in place at the outset, thus reducing the imperative to make an appointment. The key factor here is to never make an average appointment, always go again if needs be and factor in what can be different next time around.

If there is one thing I would always urge you to do, it is to never make an average appointment. The ecosystem of a college is far too complex and important to your community and stakeholders to get it wrong, so don’t take any chances.

Onboarding:

Please do not underestimate the importance of this step, especially when a long notice period is in play.  It is imperative throughout the notice period to engage and slowly draw your new recruit into your planning and strategic thinking, so they hit the ground running. When this is managed badly, you simply run the risk of switching your new recruit off or presenting yourself as an organisation that is not open, transparent and considered. You will need to be open if things take a turn for the worse and don’t hide issues that they will inherit. The same applies for when they start, make sure a clear and coherent plan is in place in their early weeks.

Summary:

This is far from a comprehensive overview but perhaps a few thoughts to stimulate thinking when you have your next strategic hire. There are now lots of different solutions to recruiting in a candidate led market that may align well to your strategic recruitment needs, from market mapping, tailored leadership development programmes, ELT and Board reviews, through to mentoring services.  Today’s recruitment market is fragmented and changing, just like the FE sector. As long as you seek to innovate your selection process and drive a candidate centric approach, you will continue to attract the best talent the sector has to offer.

If you would like to discuss any of the points highlighted within this article, please feel free to get in touch.