But I didn’t order two drinks

The national language of Kazakhstan is Russian. And when my family and I moved there in August 2021 I only knew two phrases. “Thank you” which is clearly mandatory for a Brit living abroad and “hello”.

Slowly over time I picked up phrases that were required on a more practical level in restaurants, taxis, shops and markets.

On this particular day I had decided today was the day. Because I had learnt how to ask for my favourite drink a “caramel latte with extra hot milk please” and for my Kazakh friends reading this newsletter “карамельный латте с молоком очень горячим, пожалуйста.”

Anyway I was presented with two cups. At this point I was VERY confused. And in fact my co-ordinate and planned preparation didn’t allow for such a deviation. The Barista started talking to me.

Embarrassed, confused and scrabbling for Google Translate I asked the lady to wait. Although the word I used was in German. Doh! But before I could kick start Google Translator a very nice customer came to my assistance. I explained the situation.

She spoke to the lady and answered the question. They thought you wanted one caramel latte and one hot milk. Doh!

Mystery resolved.

Unfortunately this wasn’t the only time when a lack of communication led to confusion. I’ll spare you the story but it ended up with my daughter receiving the full ensemble of items which go with holding a bird of prey in Kazakhstan. The look of disgust on her face is priceless.

The link to recruitment

On Sunday 20th November I published a short video on LinkedIn talking about how communication is mandatory to a successful recruitment campaign which you can watch here.

But here are just three items which are critical to a smooth and successful recruitment campaign:

1. Look before you leap - Before you start to advertise, promote and discuss your opportunity you should get very clear. What is the role exactly? What isn’t it? What are the minimum skills required? What challenges do you foresee? What are the challenges? Why should somebody apply for this role? The list is extensive.
2. Job adverts - As soon as you have all of the information from above you can now start to craft a well written job advert. Ultimately you are seeking to attract and engage the right person for your role. And detract the wrong people. So language and phrases are critical. For example, “The CFO has left immediately.” The reader is now expecting uncertainty but equally it could be an opportunity to step up for a Head of Finance supporting their career development.
3. Communication and clarity - if you do not communicate with candidates they will form their own opinion which may lead to them withdrawing their application or applying for other roles.

So if you are reading this article thinking I am struggling to attract the right talent. The good news is it's 100% fixable.

My final thoughts

When something goes wrong in life it’s a memory. When something goes wrong in business it becomes a costly mistake.

Any issues that you face in recruitment is fixable. However it does require investment. Investment of your; time, focus and commitment.

So either channel your energy into the right places. Or outsource it to a true professional who will make it look easy, do it in a fraction of the time and may even cost less than you think.

Whilst you’re here

I’m not going to promote my new job advert writing and advertising services this week which will attract high performing candidates. Or even my recruitment services as I’m planning for a fast start to 2023.

Talk next week and remember everything can be fixed. You just need to commit to the problem.

David

01905 419410

www.jammyrecruitment.com