Category: Blog

Barry Whelan Excel Recruitment

Questions you should ask in an interview by CEO of Excel Recruitment Barry Whelan

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

With the unemployment rate currently at 6.3% and predicted to fall even lower (RTÉ, July 2017), it’s truly a candidate’s market when it comes to looking for jobs. With this in mind, the questions you ask a potential employer in your interview become even more important to ensure you’re not wasting your time, or the interviewer’s. CEO of Excel Recruitment, Barry Whelan shares his top tips on the questions you should ask your interviewer….

Often candidates going for an interview find it difficult to ask questions of the employer- they agonize over a question to ask and either don’t ask one or ask something irrelevant. In today’s job market it is crucial when at interview to engage with the prospective employer and the only way to do that is to ask questions during the job interview.

At most interviews, you will be invited to ask questions of your interviewer. This is an important opportunity for you to learn more about the employer, and for the interviewer to further evaluate you as a job candidate. It requires some advance preparation on your part.

A job interview is an opportunity for you to learn more about a potential employer. Indeed, what you learn from an interview may determine whether or not you want the job you’re interviewing for.

Here are some guidelines for asking questions:

  • Prepare five good questions.
  • Understand that you may not have time to ask them all. Ask questions concerning the job, the company, and the industry
  • Your questions should indicate your interest in these subjects and that you have read and thought about them.

Don’t ask questions that raise warning flags- For example, asking “Would I really have to work weekends?” implies that you are not available for weekend assignments. If you are available, rephrase your question. Also, avoid initiating questions about compensation (pay, vacations, etc.) or education reimbursements. You might seem more interested in cash or time-off than the actual job.

Don’t ask questions about only one topic- People who ask about only one topic are often perceived as one dimensional.

Clarify- It’s OK to ask a question to clarify something the interviewer said. Just make sure you are listening. Asking someone to clarify a specific point makes sense. Asking someone to re-explain an entire subject gives the impression that you have problems listening or comprehending. For example, you can preface a clarifying question by saying: “You mentioned that ABC Company does …. Can you tell me how that works in practice?”

Questions to Ask During a Job Interview

The following are examples of the types of questions you might ask at your job interview-

“Can you describe for me what a work week is really like as a salesperson?”

“What career paths have others generally followed after completing the program?”

“What is a typical day (assignment) [for a position you are applying for] in your company?”

“Does the position offer exposure to other facets of your organization?”

“What other positions and/or departments will I interact with most?”

“To whom does this position report?”

“How much decision-making authority and autonomy are given to new employees?”

“How will my performance be evaluated and how often?”

“What are the opportunities for advancement?”

“Does your organization encourage its employees to pursue additional education?”

“How would you describe the organization’s culture/environment?”

“What makes your organization different from its competitors?”

“What industry-wide trends are likely to affect your organization’s strengths and weaknesses?”

Asking Questions shows an interest and engages the interviewer. It is an important part of the interview process and you shouldn’t try to wing it on the day. Most importantly, ask the questions you want to know the answer to and will help determine whether this is the job for you. Good luck!

Brexit

Brexit Benefits for the Irish Hospitality Industry

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

And how Excel Recruitment are insuring we’re ahead of the curve..

By Excel Recruitment’s General Manager Shane McLave

Brexit and its many possibilities and uncertainties has been one of the main topics of conversation for Irish businesses’ since the ‘Leave’ campaign’s win last June. While it’s still unclear what exactly Brexit will look like, Excel Recruitment have already begun taking steps to capitalise on its potential.

Brexit is undoubtedly going to have a massive effect on Ireland. It’s impact is already being felt on our tourism and hospitality trade with visitor numbers from the UK falling this year on the back of weak sterling. However, Britain’s exit may well turn out to be a good thing with Tourism Ireland getting creative and pursuing new markets in North America, Australia and Asia. This hard work is already paying off with visitor numbers from North America up 23%, followed by Australia, up 16%.

In recruitment terms, Ireland has the potential to become a seriously attractive location for both employers and employees. Huge media attention has been given to the chaos Brexit will cause the British hospitality industry with both the British Hospitality Association and Pret a Manger earlier this year, saying it would take 10 years to replace EU hospitality staff after Brexit. (The Guardian, March 17) The number of nurses from other EU countries applying to work in English hospitals has fallen by 96% since the referendum. (The Guardian, March 17) At the risk of being unneighbourly, Britain’s loss could stand to be Ireland’s gain. Young EU nationals eager to travel and gain experience in an English speaking country may now look to Ireland, where the future concerning visas (the cost of which alone will act as a deterrent), working rights and travel are clear cut, to expand their horizons. Not knowing what Brexit will look like may also encourage top Irish talent to stay at home and build their careers here.

The same need for consistency also exists within international businesses based in the U.K. Many keen to maintain close ties with Europe and avoid the red tape and uncertainty of whatever Brexit will be, may begin to look to Ireland as a place to set up operations. By setting up camp in Ireland, multi-national companies’ gain an English speaking workforce with a similar outlook, culture, laws and way of doing things while still benefiting from everything that comes with working within the EU. Ireland is 15 times smaller than Britain so it goes without saying gaining even a fraction of this FDI would make a massive difference.

Indeed, many corporations have already made the move. At least a dozen London city banks have already begun the process of moving some of their operations to Dublin with JP Morgan building a 22-storey tower on the south of the river Liffey and adding to their 500 employees here. (The Irish Times, July 17) This can only be a good thing for the Irish economy with more jobs, more people and more opportunities.

Excel Recruitment have continued to be proactive and stay ahead of the curve. We have actively begun recruiting within the UK and beyond. In recent months, we have placed a number of quality candidates from the UK in roles with our clients and we have seen our database of UK candidates increase dramatically. These candidates come from all sections and levels of the hospitality industry and are all looking to make a move into Ireland and begin working with our top-class clients.

Retail Excellence Ireland call for Government to introduce policies to protect retailers from Brexit

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Retail Excellence Ireland call for Government to introduce policies to protect retailers from Brexit, including 3% cut in VAT

Retail Excellence Ireland has called on the Government to cut VAT by 3% in the next Budget. The retail lobby group, has said Ireland’s ‘regressive’ VAT rate of 23% should be reduced to safeguard Irish retailers from the effects of Brexit. The lobby group said the 23% rate should be cut in “in one fell swoop”. Retail Excellence have previously called for a reduction in the charge but in their latest submission say any incremental reduction would have minimal effect on consumer spending.

The submission from the group including a number of measures the group feel are necessary for the government to introducing in an effort to help retailers including-

  • Immediate and emergency legislation to immediately tackle rising insurance costs
  • The introduction of a business focused bank, similar to the UK’s Metro Bank. Half of Metro Bank’s balance sheet lending is targeted at SMEs.
  • Training and financial support for businesses to set up and grow their online presence and eCommerce capabilities
  • Increased Garda presence and resources to tackle retail crime
  • A renewed focus and energy on regional town and village renewal schemes
  • Prioritise infrastructural development to encourage more FDI

The group also call on the Government to intervene on the issue of spiralling rents faced by retailers with the abolition of all upward only rent review clauses to allow all commercial tenants to pay market rents. The group say this would support many retailers who are suffering penal and unsustainable rents due to upward only leases.

In their submission, Retail Ireland Excellence pointed to the importance of retail to the Irish economy. Irish retailers operate some 45,000 businesses and directly employ some 282,000 employees.

“As a direct consequence of retail activity, €5.7 billion is contributed to the exchequer on an annual basis. Therefore, the significant of retail must not be underestimated,” said Lorraine Higgins, a spokeswoman for the organisation.

Tips for Senior Level Job Interviews

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Job interviews can be nerve wracking at all levels, but interviews for senior management jobs can be particularly challenging, often requiring a deeper level of insight and preparation. Here at Excel Recruitment, our consultants interview candidates for senior positions right up to CEO every day and understand fully exactly what our clients are looking for. Below are some of our consultants’ top tips to succeed.

Don’t rest on your experience

When it comes to interviewing for senior positions, it won’t be enough to just take the interviewer through your experience and skills. You should leave the interviewer with no doubt about what you can add to the company you’re applying for. Outline your plan for yourself and the business when you get the job and the positive contribution you would make, whether that taking steps to fix a current problem, troubleshoot against a future one or simply improve on what the business is already doing well. Which leads us nicely to our next tip……

Do your research really, really well

‘Research the company’ is one of the most obvious, and important, interview tips around and for good reason. But the higher up the food chain you go, the more prep is required. Knowing the basics won’t land you a senior management job, you will have to delve further into the business’ goals, culture, strengths and weaknesses. Then when you’re in the interview, use this knowledge to your advantage by explaining how you and your skills will fit into and improve the business. You should also be aware of recent news stories, successful campaigns, annual reports and what their competitors are doing.

Personality

Chances are, if you’ve been invited to interview for a significant senior position the hiring manager has already deemed your experience suitable for the role. Often the purpose of the interview is not to discuss what you did, but how you did it. The personality fit is a crucial part of the success/failure of any new hire and one companies’ will but the time and effort into getting right. Get your personality across and build a rapport with your interviewer, getting across to them how well you get on with people and how this helps you manage people.

Know what you want

Before you even get to the interview stage, have it clear it your own head why you want the job. A job interviewer will want to know that you’re passionate about the company and their work and that you really want the job. Be prepared to discuss your ambitions and goals, along with your reasons for wanting a move. Think about why this company in particular would be a good fit for you, and you for them, and get these reasons across to your potential employer. Be clear on these before you go, and when you get there, be sure to ask questions as well as answer them.

Remember it’s an interview

Even if you’re a fantastic candidate with tonnes of experience, loads of awards and a stellar reputation in your field, this is still a job interview and you still need to sell yourself as the best candidate to the job. Rather than regurgitating broad, bland platitudes about your achievements, be prepared with a couple of real-life examples of your successes in previous roles e.g. “In my previous role, we had a problem with X, so I decided to do X and as a result X was improved and the issue was resolved.”

And finally, no matter how casual the interview setting or how senior a candidate you are remember the basics- dress well, be on time, and be nice to everyone you meet there. Follow all our above steps, and you’ll be one step closer to your dream job.

What to Wear to a Job Interview

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

For many people, it can seem old fashioned or overly corporate to talk about ‘appropriate’ interview attire. Many workplaces have adopted casual dress codes and the lines between semi-casual/business casual/work-wear are continually being blurred. However, no matter what the dress code of the company you’re interviewing with, how you look in the job interview can have a huge impact on your success. At minimum you should be smart-casual and there are certain unwritten rules about dressing for job interviews. Below are Excel Recruitment’s tips on how to dress for success.

Show that you want to be there

Our consultants love when they’re sending candidates out for interview and the candidate asks what they should wear. It shows they are serious about wanting the job and are willing to put thought and effort into making the best first impression possible! Turning up looking scruffy, dishevelled or overly casual sends a message to the interviewer that you don’t care enough about the job or were just too lazy to put the effort in.

Often looking good is just a by-product of putting the effort in, appearance-wise. Ensuring you’re well-presented means that you, and the interviewer, can focus on what you have to say rather than what you look like.

Play it safe

A huge part of your interview preparation should be researching the company, looking up their website and social media, talking to people you know there or asking your recruitment consultant for info. From this, you should be able to get a decent understanding of the company’s culture and what you should be wearing. An interview outfit for an accountant job will be very different to one for a fashion retail job. If you’re in doubt, it’s always better to play it safe and go more dressy than casual. No matter what the company, at minimum you should be dressed smart-casual.

On the theme of playing it safe, be careful of your accessories. No loud or jangly jewellery or flashy or comedic ties. You should always aim to look professional and put together.

Keep it clean

For jobs like butchers, deli staff, chefs or any job where hygiene and cleanliness are paramount make sure you bring this same attention to hygiene to your interview day. Make sure hair is neatly styled and out of your face, nails are clean and trimmed and your general appearance is neat and well-groomed. On the reverse, avoid too much perfume or aftershave. As with the previous point, the aim is to ensure the interviewer is focusing on what you say, not what you look/ smell like.

Pay attention to the details

Doing the small things right will go a long way towards looking your best, and your potential employer will be impressed that you notice that you’re detail orientated. Things like shining your shoes, ensuring your clothes are clean, ironed and fit you well don’t have to take a lot of time but can make a huge difference to your overall presentation.

Finally, when it comes to job interviews, your experience and personality are the most important and are what will get you the job. However, it is important to start off on the right foot and do everything you can to leave a lasting, positive impression.

Advice for Employers: How to Conduct an Interview

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A new hire is one of the most significant business decisions you can make and a face to face interview is hands down the best way to decide on the right candidate but are you making the most of it? We take you through the best questions to ask a potential employee to gain the most knowledge possible about the person behind the CV.

We at Excel do the leg work in terms of finding exceptional candidates that have the right experience, qualifications and skills match your specifications and we ensure the candidates we present to you are the best of the best but ultimately, the final decision is yours.

By the time you’ve decided to interview someone we, and you, will have screened their CV thoroughly and decided that their experience and qualifications are suitable for the role, but is their personality and style? You know best the type of person that would be the most successful fit in your business.

The best interview questions tell you about the person rather than the CV and gain an insight into the candidate’s personality, strengths, weaknesses, skills and abilities. The most successful questions benefit the candidate and give them opportunity to speak to details that might not fit on a standard CV.

Tell me about yourself.

This question is probably the most obvious on the list, but with good reason. This question is a great way to start your interview and put your candidate at ease, as they will obviously know a lot about themselves. It gives you an opportunity to see their communication skills, confidence and personality from the get go.

From everything you’ve learned about this role, me and the company, tell me how you feel you could contribute to the business?

This question sorts out those that are serious about the role from those just chancing their arm. Those who have really prepared and want to work with you will be delighted to have a chance to show it. Those who don’t really want the job or those who are simply too lazy to Google you will either try and bluff and fail or falter completely.

Describe a time when something went wrong at work and how you dealt with it.

This question is ideal for learning about how your potential hire will handle the pressures of life and conflict in your office. The candidates answer will demonstrate their interpersonal and problem solving skills and help you determine whether they would fit well into the culture of your business.

Why should we hire you?

As we said earlier by the time you meet a candidate for interview, we at Excel have already established that on paper, they are right for the job but this question can help you hugely when deciding if they’re right for your business. Realistically you’re interviewing a number of candidates, all with similar qualifications. This question asks the candidates to define what sets them apart from the rest. An interviewee who does a great job explaining how her unique experience, education, industry credentials, and personal interests will power your business will do the same thing for your company once hired.

How would your boss/ coworkers describe you?

This question essentially ask what are your greatest strengths/weaknesses in a way that can cause interviewees to be more reflective in their answer. A good candidate will know there is no point in spoofing and will use real-life examples or quotes from their boss/ performance reviews that reflect the attributes they’ve already mentioned in the interview.

What kind of manager and colleagues have you had the most and least success with, and why?

This is a great question to ascertain the personality type of the candidate sitting in front of you. By asking this you’ll be able to figure out how they work best, and whether this fits in with how your team works best, or whether they seem to have a lot of conflicts with people or personality types.

Feeding Ireland’s Future 2017 with Excel Recruitment

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Last week, Excel Recruitment welcomed young unemployed local jobseekers into our offices in Dublin City Centre.

Feeding Ireland’s Future is an initiative by the Department of Social Protection and the Grocery Retail Industry in Ireland. Participants are aged between 18-24 years of age and facilitated by ECR Ireland. Excel Recruitment serve the Grocery Retail Industry recruiting Sales Assistants to CEO.

The week kicked off with members of the Excel team and participants chatting through their CVs and employment history, along with discussing the elements of job-seeking they find the most difficult. This allowed our experts to tailor their talks specifically to the group, addressing each of their particular weaknesses and concerns.

A huge number of workshops took place during the participants’ time with Excel, including CV tips and tricks with Head of Fashion/Non-Food Aislinn Lea and Interview Skills with Nikki Murran, our Head of Grocery who gave her top tips and conducted mock interviews with the group.

Sean Thomas, Grocery Consultant discussed how the Grocery industry ticks and the benefits of working within it and Sarah Hurley, Retail Head Office Recruiter took participants through how to how to cope with interview assessments/aptitude tests.

The participants were also given free Manual Handling and HAACP training from our certified trainers giving them recognised and necessary skills for work along with adding a professional qualification to their CVs.

Along with these and more hugely successful workshops the participants also got the opportunity to work one on one with our expert recruiters on their CV. Participants were encouraged and shown how to rephrase certain aspects of a CV to better illustrate their personality, expand on their skill sets. The consultant spent time with each individual to ensure skills and experience that they already had were not omitted or were highlighted in their CV’s.

Every member of the Excel Team took part, giving workshops and CV advice, guidance and leads to all participants, committing time to the group and also individually. Excel Recruitment were delighted to assist in Feeding Ireland’s Future 2016. We are a proponent of Irish Retail and it was refreshing to have new faces, who are encouraged by the industry in our offices for the few days. We wish all participants the very best in their applications and encourage them to keep in contact with each other and Excel Recruitment.

The feedback from all participants was overwhelming positive with all of those partaking commenting they would definitely feel more confident applying for jobs, sending CVs and attending interviews.

 

online shopping

How to Get the Job: Most Common Cover Letter Mistakes

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Excel Recruitment are EXPERTS in recruitment, if we do say so ourselves, and we see hundreds of cover letters everyday. Below are the biggest and most common mistakes we see.

 

To Whom It May Concern

The next point covers the importance of not submitting a generic cover letter, but ‘To whom it may concern’ is SOO overused it needs to be discussed in its own right.( This point also applies to Dear Sir/Madam). If the job ad doesn’t give the name of the person recruiting or your sending in your CV speculatively, Google it. Here at Excel, we’ve made it really easy for you to find out who recruits what jobs. If you’re not completely confident who is, use the head of the department for the position you’re applying for. At the end of the day, no one will be mad for addressing the letter higher up than necessary. At the very least, it’s better than your cover letter only being skimmed.

Same Old, Same Old

Excel Recruitment consultants see hundreds of cover letters a day and a shocking number are generic, full of tired, overused clichés and put simply, quite boring. Boring is the last thing you want to be, especially when trying to get a recruiter’s attention. Tailor your cover letter to suit each individual job you’re applying for. Don’t say ‘I would be an asset to any company’ explain why you would be an asset to THIS company. Do your research and illustrate how your skills match the specific company’s needs. Also, it’s all well and good discussing your amazing skills at this and that but if they’re not relevant to the job at hand, don’t waste the space. Again, the aim is to let the consultant/ hiring manager know you want this job, not just any job.

Putting your CV into sentences

Another mistake people make when putting together their cover letter is to simply turn their CV into a short essay or just regurgitate the same information already in their CV. Remember in first class when your teacher would give out for writing stories that go- and then this, and then that, and then we? Anything written this way is boring, never mind a job application in a very large pile of job applications. A cover letter is a much more personable way of describing your experience, your skills and goals not a longhand list of where you’ve worked. Use your cover letter to introduce yourself to the person hiring, let them know why you’ve applied and get your personality across.

Doing it for the Sake of it

So many people throw a cover letter together because they feel like they have to but that’s a waste of a vital tool. Any career breaks or gaps in employment? Using your cover letter to address them is the easiest way to explain while stressing your skills and eagerness to get back to work.

Ultimately, stop thinking of a cover letter as something you have to do and instead view it as the excellent opportunity it is. A concise, specific, well written cove letter ensures you make the best possible impression in a pile of applications and can help you make the first step.

Now that you have all the knowledge you need to write a fabulous cover letter, have a look at all our live roles and get sending!

Barry Whelan Excel Recruitment

Why benefits are important for finding and keeping top talent

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Attention Employers! Barry Whelan, CEO of Excel Recruitment, discusses why benefits are important in a retail industry that more and more is becoming a candidate’s market….

Each year we complete a comprehensive salary & benefits survey to benchmark roles in the industry and examine the competitiveness of retail to attract talent.

With unemployment at 7.1% in February, it seems pretty obvious, that when it comes to retail, it is a candidates market.

With this in mind, we have seen a real increase in the benefits offered to employees. How employees value these benefits is a matter for debate, but when you look at global players and what they offer, taking a leaf from their benefits book, may help a business become the employer that stands out without putting employee costs through the roof.

Glassdoor, the American job site identified the ‘top 20 work benefit’s’ according to how the company’s employees enjoying those benefits rated them. The company’s employees write a comment on the Glassdoor site and they analyse these comments to come up with the most popular list. Interestingly as a US survey, top of the list is paid maternity/Paternity leave and health insurance, two benefits that we often take for granted in the Irish employment market.

So what could we learn from Employees in the world’s largest economy?

The retail industry in Ireland has some pretty significant players and whilst it’s not filled with Facebooks and Googles, with the stereotypical view of skateboards and ping pong tables in offices or employees able to take unlimited vacation time, these are not the benefits that employee’s value. According to Glassdoor, these don’t feature at all.

It is more worthwhile looking at what may be exciting to employees, whilst possible and affordable to the company. It is these benefits that lead companies to become that employer brand of difference. Remember these are not a list of the wildest or most comprehensive benefits, just those that employees valued.

As you can imagine companies operating in the tech and finance space feature heavily, but we also have a smattering of retail/hospitality businesses.

The top employee perks for 2017 that Glassdoor USA rate best are-

IKEA. Paid Paternity for four months

Reebok. On-site gym with Cross fit classes.

Bain & Company. Bain & company Soccer tournament

Goldman Sachs. Health cover for gender reassignment surgery since 2008

Facebook. Free housing for Interns

Scripps Health. Free pet insurance

Starbucks. Full reimbursement for all workers taking an online BA Degree.

American Express. Parents are given access to a 24-hour lactation consultant, and mothers traveling for business can ship their breast milk home.

Eventbrite. The company offers workers a monthly $60 wellness allowance that can be used on anything from juice cleanses to a gym membership.

Wholefoods Market. 20% staff discount

Gap. Provides free access to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to corporate employees. Gap founders Doris and Donald Fisher worked closely with the museum to feature their prominent private collection.

Swiss RE. Insurance company Swiss Re’s “Own the Way You Work” program encourages employees to embrace flexibility with their schedules and work remotely.

Southwest. Southwest offers all employees and their dependents access to Clear Skies, an employee assistance program that provides confidential counselling, work/life services, and legal consultations.

Genentech. Genentech offers unique on-site amenities, including car washes, haircuts, childcare centre, mobile spa and dentist.

Timberland. Timberland employees can take up to 40 hours of paid time off per year to volunteer.

Microsoft. $800 towards Gym membership

Deloitte. Two paid Sabbaticals

Amazon. Parental Share. Either Parent can take paid leave if one does not receive paid leave from their employer.

USAA. A high level health care plan

In-N-Out. Free Lunch

We all know the success of our businesses depend on the people working in them. Retail will become more and more competitive for talent as the year progresses. Perhaps adding some progressive benefits will help retain the talent and attract more.

Hotel Salary Survey

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Excel Recruitment are delighted to present our 2017 Hotel Salary Survey. 2016 was a phenomenal year for the Irish hospitality industry. Ireland’s food service industry experienced massive growth in 2016, reaching a record €7.5bn. 2016 was a record breaking year for visitors to Ireland, showing the number of international visitors increased to 8.8 million – up 10% on the previous year. 2017 is expected to see further growth of 4.5%, all of which means exciting times are ahead for the hospitality trade in Ireland. In terms of recruitment, the current market is incredibly competitive. It continues to be a candidates market with Chefs and HR Managers continuing to be in high demand. To see the results of our survey, please click below.

If you would like to discuss any of the findings or need advice on your staffing, please get in contact with us here. To view our current vacancies within Hospitality click here.

 

Hotel Salary Survey 2017 (2)