Where do the very best staff work?

Andy Clark 25.7.22

How would you feel if you had great employees lining up to work for you?

We know practices in the UK where this is true right now, and we also know others who can’t get a single applicant.

It shouldn’t be hard. There are currently more registered optometrists and dispensing opticians than ever in the UK. In England alone, the number of registered optometrists grew from 7907 in 2004 to 14,087 in 2019, and they can’t all be happy with their current jobs.

If you are struggling to recruit, could it be that the job that you are offering isn’t perceived to be good enough to make people want to leave where they are to join you?

Why do people change jobs?

People tend to move jobs because they are somehow dissatisfied with their current one and when they do change they look for the best job that they can get.

Let us assume that applicants  grade the “quality” of the job that you are offering as POOR, OK, GOOD or OUTSTANDING.

Let us also assume that you grade the “quality” of these applicants as POOR, OK, GOOD or OUTSTANDING.

So, if applicants are looking for a better job and you're looking for an employee …

Employers who are offering a POOR job get NO applicants.

Employers who are offering an OK job get POOR applicants.

Employers who are offering a GOOD job get POOR and OK applicants.

Employers who are offering an OUTSTANDING job get POOR, OK, GOOD and OUTSTANDING applicants.

What makes an OUTSTANDING job?

Our work on the Job Satisfaction Index found that there are several questions that applicants have in their minds when they are considering their current position or searching for a new position. They are listed below in different categories and, as some will be more relevant to each applicant than others, they are as follows and in no particular order.

The Work

Will this job utilise my skills and experience?

Will the work be interesting and challenging?

Will I have the resources I need to do my job as well as I can?

Valued

Will I have a clear understanding of how my work impacts the business?

Will my hard work and successes be recognised?

Will I feel valued for my contribution?

Security

Does this business have a secure future?

Will I have a secure future with them?

Management

Will my responsibilities be clearly defined?

Will I be given regular, useful feedback?

How will my success be measured?

Team

How connected will I be with the team?

Does the team get along together?

Does the team work well together?

Culture

What does this business stand for?

Are its values aligned with my own?

Training and Development

Will I be properly trained to work here?

How well will the training be delivered?

What support will I get when I’m learning something new?

Opportunities

What opportunities will I have to progress my career?

What assistance will I get to progress my career?

Will this job get me where I want to be quickly enough?

Work / Life Balance

Will I be able to work the hours that suit me?

How much time will I have to spend travelling to and from work?

The Package

Will I be paid a fair rate for the job?

What benefits are included?

Employers who are recruiting OUTSTANDING employees are offering OUTSTANDING opportunities.

Are there any factors in the above list where you need to go to work on your business to make it more attractive to the best applicants?

Recruitment is a Marketing Exercise.

When you are recruiting you are attracting applicants instead of customers, and just as bad marketing repels customers, badly conceived job adverts repel applicants.

Applicants must see that your grass really is greener before they choose to hop over the fence.