Time to put down the cookie cutter?
This is my first week back after a glorious holiday that kept everyone happy.
I had morning coffee with a lake view, 4pm spritzes, dinner in the garda hills.
I even had time to read 3 entire books!
Thankfully, my 6 y/o was busy making friends with any English-speaking kid she found, and a few that didn’t.
Turns out Uno and Chu Chu Ua transcend all language barriers – who needs Duolingo?
I’ve spent the last few days reminding myself what I do IRL. And I’ve rewatched the zoom calls I had over the summer.
I asked clients from schools and MAT central teams - “what’s your biggest recruitment challenge?”.
There were obstacles that seem to be baffling everyone from SBMs, to HR Managers, to MAT Directors. Plus a few juicy comments.
Such as, “We had a falling out with TES”.
Word for word from a MAT COO.
Me - “Oh, tell me more about that” *Drawing up a chair and pouring a glass of chardonnay* 👀
And this theme came up in a few conversations.
A questioning whether TES:
was consistently getting results.
as still good value.
had earned its place in next year’s budget.
TES will always have a place in school recruitment, but I’m pleased to see that schools are considering other ways to attract talent.
After all, there aren’t enough candidates to meet the need, so the schools that look beyond TES e.g., employer branding, social media, or building talent pools, will have the edge.
“It’s a cookie cutter approach”. This was from an SBM with a background in recruitment.
Every school is different.
Why use the same, traditional approach to recruitment?
It seems schools want “a creative approach”, and some mentioned organisations like the CO-OP and BBC who that made people excited to work for them through engaging candidate journeys and clear employer brands.
And speaking of branding, all clients told me how hard it was to stand out from other schools or MATs.
And how the education recruitment process didn’t allow them to show their personality until someone arrived for an interview.
I came away from the chats with a strong feeling that education is open to new ideas in recruitment and ready to move forward.
But these same people told me they’re not sure where to start.
And that’s the hard bit, isn’t it? Knowing what to actually do about your problem.
I can tell you exactly what I’m not happy about in my business.
In fact, I will.
I want to consistently post on LinkedIn every single day.
I know it helps my business, I’ve got loads to say, I’m not shy about posting.
But every time I sit down to write content my brain starts to cry, and instead I make a coffee/check my emails/write another list.
It feels like a lot. It’s days (weeks?) of work, and maybe I’m not doing it right, and I’m not sure where to start.
So next Tuesday I’m speaking with someone who says they can virtually hold my hand over two weeks whilst I get my LinkedIn on track.
He’ll tell me what works, give me ideas, and a simple way to stay consistent.
Let’s hope me and my procrastination don’t break him.
Because I believe having a guide is the best way to move forward.
If you want to solve your recruitment problems once and for all, I have something for you.
It’s coming in the next few weeks.
Picture this 💭💭💭
It’s Thursday 6th March 2025. 6 months from today.
You’re gearing up for Sept recruitment.
You get an email from your most niche, most experienced member of staff.
They’ve been offered a more senior role.
They’re sending you their formal resignation.
And they leave in 4 weeks.
You smile and think “good for them, that’s right up their strasse”.
And ping them a reply saying “Congratulations, I’m SO happy for you”.
And you actually mean it.
You’re completely unfazed.
Because you’re in control of your recruitment.
You’re confident that you know the exact steps to secure the best person on the market, quickly, and without the stress.
So, do you want to be the first to know about this new big thing?
Pop your details below to join the inner circle…