As the world begins to creep back to normality, it is difficult to ignore that there has been increasing activity in the job market. For many treasury professionals, the past 16 months have been about steering their businesses and teams through turbulent times as the pandemic grew and created significant challenges.
However, as we emerge on to what we all hope to be the other side, treasury professionals are seriously considering next career moves, and some will be hoping to use their newly acquired skills in a different organisation.
So, here are some advice points for group treasurers and managers looking to recruit this year in order to get the best returns in what is undeniably a competitive market.
Since many of us are still interviewing virtually, it has become apparent that one of the key factors in selecting and onboarding new staff is personal engagement.
Prior to the pandemic, when the majority of interviews were held face to face, it was easy to rely on body language, non-verbal cues and other signs of engagement to convey enthusiasm or interest.
Through small screens, these cues are now harder to identify and real enthusiasm is difficult to convey in a virtual setting, so it is very attractive when an interviewer goes above and beyond. Always having a clear plan of how to communicate the key values of an organisation, the culture of a firm and the feel of a business is paramount when candidates can no longer expect a tour of the office and the ability to observe the office culture casually.
Line managers have to work extra hard to explain and translate this culture to candidates if they want to truly ascertain a cultural fit for the individual and show how collaborative a business can be. We have seen smaller businesses really thrive in this scenario because they are more accustomed to having to sell their business in order to win out over some more well-established household name firms.
Engagement can also come from honesty and showing a human side in an interviewing process. What candidates have responded particularly well to in the past six months of interviewing, is when line managers have been very open about their own challenges as well as those faced by their teams in the last year. At the end of the day, we buy into humans more than businesses, and the more that a line manager is willing to be themselves and give insight into what they are like to work with, the more likely a candidate is to join and stay within the business.
It is so important that as more and more businesses adopt a ‘hybrid’ form of working, that line managers and interviewers can effectively communicate their working patterns and office plans. Hybrid working is becoming the norm and candidates are starting to expect that in applications. However, asking for this information can sometimes feel awkward and so we advise to always volunteer any return-to-office strategies early on.
This also includes being able to communicate exactly what is expected from a new starter in their first six months. Starting a new job can feel overwhelming at the best of times, however, in a potentially fully remote environment, it can be even more so than usual. Candidates want to understand what key performance indicators, qualities or tasks need to be delivered and when by. This will help them onboard efficiently and seamlessly, because the more they understand what is expected before they join, the less time they will have to spend navigating around a Teams directory.
In summary, at the heart of any successful recruitment and onboarding campaign, communication is absolutely key. The more interviewers are able to demonstrate, prepare, and ultimately convey, the more chances are that the candidates will feel engaged and prepared for what comes ahead.
Jessica Timelin is director – finance, treasury, tax and in-house advisory at Michael Page