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Hiring a new employee is a crucial and difficult decision to make. Bad hires can lead to unwanted costs, high turnover, a decrease in team morale and productivity, and a loss in profits.  Therefore, you will want to identify bad hires before you commit to one candidate.

While grammatical and formatting errors in someone’s C.V and cover letter can be a great initial identifier of how suitable they are for your company, the interview is a better way to gauge if someone fulfills all the requirements you are looking for.

Here are three ways you to help you identify and eliminate the bad seeds during the interview process:

Only Focused on Themselves

While the candidate is there to sell themselves during the interview, make sure to pay attention to the way they answer your questions about team projects. If they focus only on their contribution and only use “I/me” while giving their answer, then perhaps they are too self-centred and not team players. Pay attention to whether they throw their previous teammates “under the bus” or if they speak negatively about their former employers. If they do this, it is another sign of a negative attitude. But it is also a sign of someone who a) has a habit of blaming others for their mistakes and b) doesn’t take responsibility for their actions.

A great candidate will answer the question with a focus on “we/us” and will include and credit their team members for a job well done within their response. By sharing the credit for their accomplishments, they show that they have a team mentality, which means that this is someone who will fit great in your team!

Mix It Up by Asking Tough Questions

If you are asking the same cliché questions, then you should expect the same generic answers that don’t allow the candidate to show their personality to you. The result is that you make a hiring decision based on inadequate information that comes from generic, pre-prepared answers that the interviewee has gotten comfortable delivering.

By getting innovative and breaking away from the standard interview questions, you get more genuine answers from the interviewees.  Some tougher questions you can ask are:

• What are five things you liked about your previous company? This question is excellent for revealing potential toxicity in the candidate’s personality. Does the answer provide any meaningful insight into the candidate’s experience, or is it a superficial one like free coffee?
• What are your future career plans? With this question, you will see if they plan to stay with your company long term or if they are biding their time until a better opportunity comes along.
• What skills are you missing? This answer will reveal those candidates that are “know-it-alls.” To answer the question, they will give you a superficial response, while the right candidate will talk about a skill they are currently working on or would like to learn to develop their professional growth further.

They are The Perfect Candidate

If a candidate seems too good to be true, be wary because it can be challenging to determine if they are, the way they market themselves or if they are embellishing the truth to seem more impressive.

Of course, the candidate will try to prove that their qualifications and expertise are exactly what the position calls for; however, it is unlikely that an applicant has the exact credentials and years of experience that you are asking for.

Take a moment and really evaluate this type of candidate. They may be telling the truth about their qualifications and experience, but this is not necessarily a good thing.

How so?

If the role is not challenging enough for them, they might quickly get bored and demotivated. Which, may lead them to have “one eye on the door,” meaning that they will instantly jump ship once a more challenging opportunity comes along. In this case, it’s best to use your judgment to assess whether this kind of candidate is right for the position or if someone with less experience who can grow within the role might be a better fit.

We also recommend involving other managers in the interview process. They will provide you with another viewpoint, and they might catch something that you have missed. At GRS all new potential hires are interviewed by at least four different Managers before they are considered for employment.

As a full-service recruitment agency with 15 years’ experience, we can match and pre-screen applicants to help narrow down the list to the most qualified for the role. By working with us, you get an additional point of view from experienced professionals, and you can feel confident that you selected the best candidate for the job. If you want to learn more about how GRS Group can assist you in filling your company’s vacancies, give us a call to speak with one of our consultants.

If you are a business that doesn’t conduct performance appraisals, then you are missing out on all the positive ways that they affect the operation of your business. Employee reviews help both the staff and the company by encouraging open communication and by clarifying goals and expectations. They also help to identify the employees’ strengths and weaknesses, which allows the management team to create action plans to rectify their shortcomings while further developing their strengths. That is why forward-thinking companies do their best to regularly conduct innovative appraisals that maximize their results, the employees’ performance, and the company’s profits.

In this article, you will find three ways in which employee reviews positively affect the running of your business.

But first, what does an efficient performance management system accomplish?

Just as all companies have their own set of cultures and values, they will also have a unique approach and techniques they use when it comes to performance management. However, despite all the different methods, all performance management systems have the ultimate goal of improving the organization’s efficiency, “while sup­port­ing per­for­mance, pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, and the well­be­ing of its employees.”

Ultimately this means that the end goal is to marry the company’s goals and ambitions with that of the staff so that “per­for­mance man­age­ment and busi­ness objec­tives entwine with employ­ee well­ness and morale.” Because when management shows that it cares about the personal growth of its employees, not just the company’s bottom line, employee motivation, engagement, and loyalty go up.

Encourages Open Communication

For an organization to function well, there must be communication between managers and their staff. Employee appraisals are the perfect occasion for employees and managers to have an open discussion about work-related issues.

When managers actively communicate with their team members:

1. Creates understanding: Managers can learn about each employee’s responsibilities, which means they’ll have a better understanding of how each team member contributes to the teams and the organization’s success. In this way, team leaders can create strategies to boost productivity using their team’s strengths.
2. Generates Confidence: Through two-way communication, employees can learn to rely on and seek the assistance of their superiors. With this, they can provide more constructive and precise guidance that results in increased productivity.
3. Positive management-labor relationships: When employees feel heard and supported by their executives, it results in an increased sense of teamwork, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty.
4. Engagement: Employees who communicate with their Management and have positive relationship are generally more productive and engaged in their employment.

Nurture Employees Through Goal Setting

Employee reviews allow management to develop their teams. They do this by first allowing supervisors to identify what each team member’s strengths and weaknesses are. Secondly, they enable managers to have an open discussion with their team members about their professional goals, the overall department’s goals, and company goals. After which they can discuss how to best collaborate with their staff to achieve both their personal goals and the company’s. With regular appraisals where managers can proactively develop their team by discussing, creating, and following up on action-plans they can fully cultivate their team’s talent.

In addition, when employees feel that they are directly involved in the development of the company, then they become more motivated to do their work. When management involves employees in goal setting, research strongly suggest that they are more engaged than their counterparts. An engaged employee will produce higher quality work meaning higher customer satisfaction and therefore improved sales.

Career development through performance appraisals is an opportunity that should not be missed by management. It does not only play a role in motivation and engagement. But also, it helps to attract new talent and keep employee turnover rates low.

Professional growth is such a high priority that 42% of employees rate development as the most crucial benefit when choosing their employer.

At the same time, “offering career training and development would keep 86% of millennials from leaving their current position.”

Boosts Motivation

Performance reviews are a powerful tool for employee motivation.

According to Forbes, 26% of workers agree that feedback from managers helps them to be more efficient, while 14% find that feedback inspires them to improve the quality of their work.

Therefore, it is clear that employees want to receive regular feedback from their managers so that they can develop the areas in which they excel and the areas where they have room, from growth.

Another way in which employee reviews motivate employees is by allowing supervisors to acknowledge the work that their team members do face-to-face. Direct recognition from management is a powerful tool for motivation and very beneficial for the company. A simple job-well-done from their superiors motivates 69% of employees to work harder, boosts employee morale, and reduces staff turnover. A 2018 study from TINYpulse found that “21.5% of workers who don’t feel recognized for doing great work have interviewed for a job in the past three months vs. 12.4% who do feel recognized.”

Are you a business that needs help with their employee appraisals? Do you need someone to help you create an effective appraisal process or to conduct reviews on your behalf? Then the GRS Group is the right choice for you. With a combined experience of 95 years, we have a deep understanding of what makes a productive employee and how to motivate and guide them to become better when necessary. Give us a call or email us so we can discuss how our team can be of assistance.

 

Congratulations, you got an interview! Now it’s time to tackle the hardest part of getting a job- preparing for the interview.

What common mistakes will make the interviewer have second thoughts about your eligibility for the position and possibly take you out of the running?

A 2017 Recruiter National Report found that being rude to the staff( 86%), using your phone(71%), being late (58%), and having lousy hygiene (52%) are some of the top reasons you would get immediately disqualified from getting hired.

So, what other common mistakes you should watch out for during interviews?

Here are three of the biggest mistakes that you should prepare for so that you don’t repeat them ever again!

I Don’t Know Anything About Your Company

Going to an interview and not knowing anything about the company you are interviewing with is the biggest mistake you can make. The “What do you know about this company?” question is almost a guarantee for every interview. Hiring managers want candidates who show excitement and initiative and showing what you know about their company is one of the best ways to do that. Nevertheless, you don’t have to be an expert; you just have to know enough about the company’s services, products, and culture to demonstrate how you could add value to them.

The “About Us” section on the company’s website can provide a lot of background information such as locations, history of the company, and its mission statement. However, we highly recommend that you take it one step further and look at the company’s social media, as well as do a general Google search for any recent news involving the company or its industry.

Give yourself enough time to complete your research-which means don’t do this the night before and make sure to revise your notes before your interview.

The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel, and this will reflect in your interview; it will show the hiring manager how seriously you’re taking the opportunity given to you.

I Don’t Know How to Answer That Question

There are times when we all get nervous, and during an interview is one of the most common ones. To prevent your nerves from getting in your way, we recommend that you research and prepare answers to common interview questions. This will ease some of your anxiety, and thus you will be able to respond to each query with more confidence, and more importantly, you won’t be caught off guard by the interviewer. Keep in mind that even though you’ll want to practice your answers, there is a delicate balance between overdoing it and coming off like a robot and not doing it enough where you become frazzled because you are trying to remember what you prepared. Instead, creating a general outline highlighting what to address for each question will take the pressure away from feeling you have to respond word for word, and your answer will come off as more natural.

Structuring your response using the STAR method is another way to ensure that you are answering questions effectively. Standing for S: Situation, T: Task, A: Action, R: Response this method is especially useful for competency-based questions. You are asked to provide and expand upon a real-life example of how you exhibit particular skills such as leadership or problem-solving. By using STAR to structure your reply, you can be confident that your answer is complete and not missing any important details that the interviewer is looking for.

I Didn’t like my previous employer

For argument’s sake, let’s say that working with your last employer or company was the most horrible experience in your professional career. Still, if the interviewer asks you why you have left or are leaving your previous job, under no circumstances should you bad-mouth your former employer and colleagues in your response. It will only reflect poorly on you and make you seem petty and immature. So, when this question comes up, make sure to keep your emotions in check and remain diplomatic and polite.

We advise framing your answer in a way that highlights your professionalism, what the experience has taught you, and how you solved the problem. Just like the following example from The Balance Careers:

“I didn’t see eye to eye with my last boss, and that led to a breakdown in communication. However, now I realize this was also due to my lack of experience in the industry, and I worried that asking questions would be perceived as weak and indicate that I was unable to do the job.

Now I’ve learned to ask questions immediately if I need further explanation and that it demonstrates my initiative and dedication to getting the job done right.”

This answer is well structured because it deemphasizes the problem while emphasizing the speaker and the lesson; they learned about how asking questions is not a sign of weakness but of initiative and dedication.

If you cannot spin your answer into something positive, you can instead respond more diplomatically by giving one of the following responses:

• I wish to be part of a bigger/smaller company
• I want to gain more experience in a different branch of the business
• I want to take on a new responsibility
• I wish to take on the challenge of learning a new industry

All these answers are acceptable as they answer the question without calling your character into question.

Do you want to ensure that you ace your next interview? Then the solution is our experienced coaches at GRS Group. We guarantee that with the help of our career guidance sessions, you will learn all the tools you need for a successful interview that will take you one step closer to getting your dream job. If you are ready to wow in your next interview, email or give us a call!

Relocating to another country for work is an excellent opportunity for widening your career prospects and gaining new life experiences.

Thanks to globalization, applicants often have plenty of opportunities for relocation as corporations from the world’s largest industries – often recruit new employees internationally, because they want to ensure they find the most eligible and qualified candidates to fill their vacancies.

However, when that time comes making the final choice to pick everything up and move is not that simple. There are multiple factors that you must consider including your family’s happiness, what is best for them and your personal goals.

As the largest recruitment specialists in Cyprus and Malta, we often deal with employees that are looking to relocate to these countries. We are personally aware of what it takes to decide to relocate to another country for better career opportunities from having a high expat workforce ourselves and successfully recruiting applicants from abroad into roles in Cyprus and Malta on a monthly basis. Below we have assembled a checklist of things you need to consider if you are thinking of accepting a position from abroad.

How Will You Support Yourself?

How you will support yourself (financially) is one of the most important factors that will influence whether you move or not.  Therefore, you will have to prepare by doing plenty of research on the job market, what skills are in demand and what paperwork (permits) you will need to be able to work in that country legally.

* At GRS we have over 15 years’ experience in the recruitment industry which means that we have a large portfolio of clients from various prominent industries that are looking to fill open vacancies within their companies. Job seekers can simplify their job search by using our search tool to find jobs within their preferred fields quickly.

How will Relocation Affect Your Professional Development?

Switching jobs is often a scary thought because you risk losing the seniority and network you have built in your previous position. The idea becomes even more frightening when you must move to a new country and start over from zero.

However, changing job roles is a great way to increase your experience and expand your skillset. When this career change takes place in another country, you also get the bonus of learning about how other culture’s work and you get to expand your professional network.

*As the leading experts in the Cypriot and Maltese job market we can help you start your job search on the right foot. From Interview tips to C.V writing, career guidance, and salary information, we are here to make your transition simpler and quicker.

What is the cost of living?

One of the most deciding crucial factors of whether you will be relocating is the cost of living in the new country. Whether you have found a new role, you must ensure that you earn enough to be able to support yourself and your family. Again, this will require research into the local cost of living, which includes food, housing, taxes, and healthcare.

*if you are interested in moving to Cyprus or Malta and you want to learn more about these countries, our free moving guides will provide you with the key insight you need to inform your decision…….

At GRS Recruitment, we can simplify this process and ensure that your transition between countries is as smooth as possible. Our team has over 15 years’ experience helping candidates find their dream jobs through our various services. Visit our Candidates page and scroll to the bottom to find our guides for moving to Cyprus and Malta.

At GRS Group, we are driven by a culture of integrity, honesty, and tenacity. Integrity means to have an uncompromising adherence to strong ethical and moral principles which extends beyond our dealings with our clients to the way we run our business.  We are committed to also showing this quality towards nature because we are aware that our activity as a company can have a negative environmental impact.

As a company that operates out of Cyprus and Malta, which are both island nations, we have a first-hand experience of how plastic harms our environment. Due to this, we care deeply about how plastic use and how human activity negatively affects our oceans and environment, after realizing ourselves that our recycle bin was getting filled more quickly and more often than our general waste bin. Hence, we are excited to talk about our new CSR initiatives focusing on reducing plastic use and carbon footprint.

Our first focus is to reduce the use of plastic single-use items by removing those items from our offices and replacing them with more eco-friendly alternatives.  We have partnered with the eco-friendly company Earth and Ocean to replace all our plastic single-use items with reusable and sustainable alternatives.

Plastic is especially harmful because it collects in landfills and makes its way into our water systems. It is non-biodegradable, which means that plastic in landfills, does not break down but instead makes the soil less fertile and stops new plants from growing there. Once it makes its way into our seas, oceans, and lakes, it also causes damage to marine life. Smaller fish often get trapped in it and drown, or they swallow and get sick because their bodies cannot break it down. Plastic polluting our water systems has become a world concern.

In fact, according to a study conducted by National Geographic, every year 18 billion pounds of plastic waste streams into the ocean from coastal regions. That amounts to five grocery bags filled with plastic covering every foot of coastline around the world.

Our second CSR goal is to reduce our carbon footprint. As of 1st October, we have implemented a team target of 4000 km, which is approximately the distance of Limassol to London, to be completed by 31^st December. We are now tracking and recording this with the use of a Mobile App.

We are incredibly proud to have a team of likeminded individuals that care about the environmental crisis we are facing today. However, we still want to motivate them to do their part and to lead active and healthier lives through walking when traveling short distances. Therefore, when we meet our goal, we have pledged to donate a substantial amount to a local charity.

Carbon footprint is a universal concern that everyone has the responsibility of acting towards reversing its effects. A group of scientists called the Global Carbon Project who are responsible for measuring greenhouse emissions have found that in 2018, carbon dioxide levels rose by 2.7 %.  The continuing trend of greenhouse emissions increasing (there was an increase of 1.6 % in 2017) is especially worrying for scientists.  The gases are extremely harmful as they trap more heat than needed to sustain life in our atmosphere preventing the excess heat from releasing into outer space. The excessive amount of hot temperatures leads to a multitude of problems such as extreme weather conditions and changing ecosystems.

We felt that this was an especially important cause to support because we are not meeting our universal goal to reduce our carbon emissions to 0% by 2050. Which is critical to do so order to stay within the safer global temperature of 1.5 degrees that would prevent irreversible climate change and total ecosystem failures.

Being part of a positive change is highly important for us at GRS Group. It is something that aligns both with our company values and what makes up our company culture.  Therefore, we are excited to begin our CSR journey with these initiatives and to develop new ones for the future.

 

A common problem faced by large and small corporations is employee engagement. All managers, at one point, ask themselves, “How do I keep my staff engaged in their tasks so that they remain happy?” The goal is to prevent high employee turnover because it leads to an expensive turnover. It includes termination costs, vacancy costs, replacement costs, and productivity costs. If you want to avoid these costs, then finding ways to motivate your staff is an excellent solution. There is a common misconception that monetary rewards are the only way to keep employees engaged. It is not true; below, we define engagement and give you six tips on how to accomplish this with your staff.

What is Employee Engagement?

Having a staff engaged goes beyond than them simply liking their jobs. Engagement is about how committed employees are to the business, its success, and to the values the company represents. According to NutCache, “Engaged employees will have a clear view and understanding of the objectives of the work they are doing.”

However, as a manager, you first measure engagement to determine what level of action you need to take. Nut Cache suggest a using a survey that is supported by benchmark date that you can compare your results too. For example, other companies that have completed the same questionnaire. This comparison is vital in determining whether your scores are high or low.

How to Build Employee Engagement      

Now that you have measured your staff’s engagement, here are some tips to get employees to work harder but still enjoy what they are doing.  here are some tips to get employees to work harder but still enjoy what they are doing.

1. Have A Clear Vision. As we have mentioned above, employees are most engaged when they have a clear vision of what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the success of the company.  When this is done, they become emotionally invested in their work as they don’t want to disappoint their supervisors and company.
2. Provide them with the support they need to succeed. Ensure that all of your employees have the training, support, and tools they need to perform their tasks successfully. Provide additional support by scheduling training sessions catered to each job description to give a boost of confidence to your team members.
   Uncertainty often leads to mistakes and decreased productivity. So, make sure you speak with each one of your employees to ensure that they have everything they need.
3. Communication is King.  A good manager will communicate often and effectively.  However, this is not a one-way communication limited to performance expectations, progress reports, and task assignments.  There should be an open two-way conversation where employees feel that their ideas are heard and taken into consideration. Allowing them to share their opinions will show your team that they’re valued, and therefore, their motivation and productivity will increase as a result.
4. Give Feedback Posthaste. Feedback should be given as often as possible instead of on a monthly or quarterly basis at job performance reviews. Both positive and negative feedback should be given immediately. Doing this will allow employees to self-correct their behavior before it becomes a more significant issue. While providing immediate positive feedback encourages the same level of performance.
5. Small Gestures Have A Large Impact. A small gesture can be as simple as a “Thank you!” for doing a great job. Praise is a great motivator survey by McKinsey Quarterly in 2009 discovered that “praise from immediate supervisors and attention from company leaders were found to be just as important or more important than financial rewards.” Other gestures such as randomly rewarding gift cards to commemorate anniversaries, birthdays, or a job well-done are a great way to recognize an employee’s hard work.
6. Allow Your Staff to Lead.  Give each of your team members a chance to be in a leadership position. Rotating roles among the team members will remove monotony and give newfound respect for others work. Letting other members take charge of a project is a good excellent way to show that you trust and believe in your team. The leadership position will also give them a sense of invested ownership since the success of the project relies on their direction. Make sure to provide guidance and support for those who don’t feel comfortable in a leadership position. Giving support is especially important when the results are not what was expected. Constructive criticism and recognition of what was done well are vital in helping employees to grow.

Why is Employee Engagement Important?

We have already mentioned that a motivated workforce reduces employee turnover. Other than the costs that come with turnover, other losses that occur, such as the time and effort you took to build and train your team. So, you will not want to have to replace them! Moreover, an engaged staff is often more productive. A study by the Conference Board (2006) found that engaged employees will outperform disengaged employees by almost 28%. Engagement improving performance is a fact supported by a survey by J.K Harter, who found that companies with engaged employees are 51% more productive than their counterparts. Because of increased productivity, you will also increase your profits. Towers Watson conducted a survey in 2009 and found that companies “with a higher level of employee engagement had 9% higher shareholder return.” Finally study by the Gallup poll (2011) showed that engaged employees had fewer absences- “3.5 fewer days than those who are disengaged.”

Final Thoughts

All employees want to feel that they are a part of the team, that they are heard, and they contribute to the success of the company. All of these have a direct correlation to how engaged employees are with the work they are doing.

Having an engaged team is like skipping rocks at the ponds. Just as the rock causes multiple waves as it skips across the water, the benefits of a motivated staff will be felt by the entire company. A team who cares about their own and the company’s success will be more productive, resulting in higher profits and customer satisfaction. As a result, you will increase your reputation as a trustworthy company and help to establish you as an industry leader.

If you are based in Cyprus or Malta, GRS Recruitment can help you with all your staff needs. We offer tailored staffing solutions to meet all needs. If you are interested, speak with one of our professionals to find out more.