Insights

At Collins Property Recruitment we are passionate about providing our followers with industry insight. We are delighted that Stephen Brown from SJB Consultancy has put together the following blog for us explaining how staffing is a critical factor in any business.

The importance of hiring the right staff. 

It is people that make a business no matter how amazing your offer is. Everyday I feel privileged to be invited into businesses to help them with a variety of issues. The teams that I see succeeding are those that embrace the changes I propose and are driven to work together to succeed. But these qualities are not stand-alone. The successful teams are also warm and great to be around.

Building the right team that works together as a strong and cohesive unit is not something that happens by chance. It is through hiring the right staff, making sure their skill set complements those already in the team, and more importantly making sure their personality does too. Clashing personalities can destroy a team dynamic and productivity, which in turn could negatively impact on the business. 

It is often said that it is best to hire on attitude, rather than experience and I couldn't agree more. You can always teach skills and your way of working. However, a warm and infectious personality is an asset in a people business such as property, as long as it's combined with a strong work ethic. A client's first impressions can affect your reputation. You need to know the person you hire will represent your business in the manner you and your clients expect. 

Steve Jobs famously said 'The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.'

A friend of mine had a viewing last week to see a property and her first impression of the company has left a lot to be desired. Why? Because the gentleman conducting the viewing made a bad first impression. 'We were waiting to view the property and the agent was nowhere to be seen. We then noticed a man dragging himself towards us rattling keys. There were no introductions, he just started to find the key for the door. I had to ask if he was indeed the gentleman we were waiting for and he just replied with a grunt. I had never met with this agency before and this was my first impression. I came away thinking they were unprofessional and not someone I wanted to do business with.'

Although my friend only met one person, her impression extended to the company as a whole.

Reputation is a hard thing to achieve in business and occurrences such as that above could destroy your reputation in a single moment. It's not only how your staff behave during working hours but also outside. In our social world, our behaviour can be commented on and shared at a click of a button for the whole world to see. Although you don't want to dictate what your team can or can't do in their personal lives, many business now undertake research before an interview on a candidate's social profiles to ensure there is nothing that could damage their brand through association.

Hiring the right staff is so much more than a person to fulfil tasks, the right person will be a brand ambassador promoting your company with their family and friends. They will embrace your company culture and want your business to succeed. If you build a company people want to work for, then the right staff will find their way to you.