![RECRUITMENT INSIGHT
or both? And if it is true that FM as a an active commitment to building a career overpromoted candidates are a widespread
profession still lacks clear benchmarks, within a particular discipline. problem. Interestingly in the current
how are employers to evaluate the CVs The efforts of BIFM and others to market, it isnt true to say that talent
of potential candidates? develop quali鍖cation and development shortages mean organisations are more
There seems to be general agreement frameworks, and the introduction of willing to promote someone above their
that too many people in FM today lack more FM degrees, should help resolve the current capabilities, or settle for less than
the quali鍖cations, skills and experience question of academic pathways. But as their ideal candidate, she maintains. Even
to cope with current challenges and drive Halabi suggests, employers will need to when companies are desperate to 鍖ll an
the industry forward. As we know, most play their part: If we have universities that FM position, theyll continue to split the
people entering the profession in the past are offering facilities degrees, then we need responsibilities across any existing team
have, in the absence of a formal academic more employers willing to invest in trainee rather than hire the wrong person.
or vocational path, fallen into FM from a FM roles. Only then will we be building a Bowman, on the other hand, believes
variety of different backgrounds. Does this more formal programme of development it is an issue and advises recruiters to
mean they are not of the right calibre? for future FM professionals. look for evidence of core competencies.
Ashleigh Brown, senior FM account Samantha Bowman agrees that employers For example, regardless of what the job
manager at Dovetail FM Recruitment, notes must take more positive steps to help close title is, an employer should not recruit
that we still have a large legacy of people the skills gap. You get better results from someone for a role that has health and
being quali鍖ed by experience working people if your expectations of them are safety responsibilities if they are not able
within FM, but believes they should not be linked to their own personal development to demonstrate their level of competence.
discounted as this route tends to promote plans, she says. Employers and providers Similarly, someone should not be appointed
intuition, ingenuity and creativity. must recruit at the right level as an to undertake a FRA [鍖re risk assessment]
However, many would argue that absolute minimum. They must then make as the competent person just because
experience and on the job training, while a commitment to train and retain their they are the only person available to
valuable, are no longer enough. Samantha employees if they are to have the quality of undertake the task.
Bowman, facilities consultant at Acuity people they need. They must be prepared Nikki Dallas, director of Talent FM,
Management Solutions, argues that you to invest in the individual as they develop agrees it is necessary to look a little deeper
should never appoint anyone to an FM role over their career. than job titles. Evidence of such qualities
if they have no formal quali鍖cations around as ambition and commitment are also
the core competencies. For Claudia Halabi, Deciphering CVs important. Rather than just looking at the
senior consultant, property and facilities at In the meantime, this leaves the second of current position on a CV, it is much better
Randstad Financial and Professional, the Noel Clancys points: how are employers to to look at somebodys career progression,
pioneering FM of the future will combine recognise the skills and qualities they need how often they are promoted, and how
customer focus, commercial acumen and from the pile of disparate CVs on their ambitious they have been to steer their
communication skills with a formal FM desks? Clancy echoed the concerns of many career to this stage. This will give you an
graduate quali鍖cation. when he said: Facilities managers tend to idea of whether this person is somebody
The problem is, the new generation of not have formal FM-related quali鍖cations, who you can professionally develop, but,
well-educated, highly quali鍖ed young FMs so you 鍖nd yourself looking solely at their more importantly, is likely to signi鍖cantly
is coming through in more of a trickle than experience and current position. add value to your organisation.
a 鍖ood. Samantha Bowman points out that However, current positions can be The fog of quali鍖cations and experience
the FM workforce is ageing, with more fortuitous because of talent shortages or that hangs over FM is an excellent
older employees (aged over 55) and fewer similar recruitment issues, so many people reason for using a specialist recruitment
younger workers (aged 16-24) than the UK are in roles that are way beyond their consultancy, says Claudia Halabi. Every
workforce as a whole (see page 29). comfort zones. You can end up with CVs candidate we represent has to attend a
Claudia Halabi believes there is still a from facilities managers with no way of pre-screening registration interview where
problem with attracting young people to telling what level theyre actually at. we delve into their CV in more detail.
FM as a career, and providing suitable Claudia Halabi agrees the lack of Typical questions that we ask include
pathways for them into the profession. I benchmarking in FM poses dif鍖culties. the square footage of any buildings they
believe the lack of graduate opportunities Its true that it can be dif鍖cult to gauge manage, the size of their team or contracts/
in the FM space is contributing to the skills the level a facilities manager is at from budgets handled and what facilities services
gap issue, she says. If you look at more their CV alone. For example, the number they are responsible for.
established functions, they have strong of years of experience an FM professional In some larger organisations the level
graduate pipelines with focused rotational has gained isnt actually that helpful an of responsibility can be very lean and
programmes and on the job training. indication, especially if a candidate has only biased to one area, ie soft services, whereas
This ensures that people dont simply worked at one organisation. a candidate on a similar salary bracket
fall into a role and instead are making She does not, however, agree that could be working for a smaller 鍖rm and
www.fmxmagazine.co.uk November 2011 fmx 21](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/fmxarticlethetalentdeficitnov2011-13219609030056-phpapp01-111122060207-phpapp01/85/FMX-Article-The-Talent-Deficit-Nov-2011-2-320.jpg)
FMX Article - The Talent Deficit Nov 2011
- 1. THE TALENT DEFICIT FM companies and employers A FEW WEEKS AGO AT A DISCUSSION CHAIRED BY FMX involving senior are struggling to 鍖nd top-quality decision-makers in FM, the CEO of a growing 贈100m turnover FM operation candidates to 鍖ll vacant posts. commented he could not 鍖nd the right calibre people to join his business (Where FMX talks to FM recruitment are we going?, FMX September). Noel Clancy, CEO of Shepherd FM, said: One specialists to 鍖nd out what, of the biggest challenges facing us as a exactly, is going on major FM organisation is 鍖nding the right people. Ive spent a lot of time over the last two years interviewing people and it continues to take considerable time to 鍖nd quality staff. In FM there are no clear benchmarks in the way there are in engineering, surveying or accounting This raises several important issues in FM recruitment. Is there, as Clancy implies, a talent shortage? If so, are we talking about too few people entering FM, or a skills gap in the people we have, 20 fmx November 2011 www.fmxmagazine.co.uk
- 2. RECRUITMENT INSIGHT or both? And if it is true that FM as a an active commitment to building a career overpromoted candidates are a widespread profession still lacks clear benchmarks, within a particular discipline. problem. Interestingly in the current how are employers to evaluate the CVs The efforts of BIFM and others to market, it isnt true to say that talent of potential candidates? develop quali鍖cation and development shortages mean organisations are more There seems to be general agreement frameworks, and the introduction of willing to promote someone above their that too many people in FM today lack more FM degrees, should help resolve the current capabilities, or settle for less than the quali鍖cations, skills and experience question of academic pathways. But as their ideal candidate, she maintains. Even to cope with current challenges and drive Halabi suggests, employers will need to when companies are desperate to 鍖ll an the industry forward. As we know, most play their part: If we have universities that FM position, theyll continue to split the people entering the profession in the past are offering facilities degrees, then we need responsibilities across any existing team have, in the absence of a formal academic more employers willing to invest in trainee rather than hire the wrong person. or vocational path, fallen into FM from a FM roles. Only then will we be building a Bowman, on the other hand, believes variety of different backgrounds. Does this more formal programme of development it is an issue and advises recruiters to mean they are not of the right calibre? for future FM professionals. look for evidence of core competencies. Ashleigh Brown, senior FM account Samantha Bowman agrees that employers For example, regardless of what the job manager at Dovetail FM Recruitment, notes must take more positive steps to help close title is, an employer should not recruit that we still have a large legacy of people the skills gap. You get better results from someone for a role that has health and being quali鍖ed by experience working people if your expectations of them are safety responsibilities if they are not able within FM, but believes they should not be linked to their own personal development to demonstrate their level of competence. discounted as this route tends to promote plans, she says. Employers and providers Similarly, someone should not be appointed intuition, ingenuity and creativity. must recruit at the right level as an to undertake a FRA [鍖re risk assessment] However, many would argue that absolute minimum. They must then make as the competent person just because experience and on the job training, while a commitment to train and retain their they are the only person available to valuable, are no longer enough. Samantha employees if they are to have the quality of undertake the task. Bowman, facilities consultant at Acuity people they need. They must be prepared Nikki Dallas, director of Talent FM, Management Solutions, argues that you to invest in the individual as they develop agrees it is necessary to look a little deeper should never appoint anyone to an FM role over their career. than job titles. Evidence of such qualities if they have no formal quali鍖cations around as ambition and commitment are also the core competencies. For Claudia Halabi, Deciphering CVs important. Rather than just looking at the senior consultant, property and facilities at In the meantime, this leaves the second of current position on a CV, it is much better Randstad Financial and Professional, the Noel Clancys points: how are employers to to look at somebodys career progression, pioneering FM of the future will combine recognise the skills and qualities they need how often they are promoted, and how customer focus, commercial acumen and from the pile of disparate CVs on their ambitious they have been to steer their communication skills with a formal FM desks? Clancy echoed the concerns of many career to this stage. This will give you an graduate quali鍖cation. when he said: Facilities managers tend to idea of whether this person is somebody The problem is, the new generation of not have formal FM-related quali鍖cations, who you can professionally develop, but, well-educated, highly quali鍖ed young FMs so you 鍖nd yourself looking solely at their more importantly, is likely to signi鍖cantly is coming through in more of a trickle than experience and current position. add value to your organisation. a 鍖ood. Samantha Bowman points out that However, current positions can be The fog of quali鍖cations and experience the FM workforce is ageing, with more fortuitous because of talent shortages or that hangs over FM is an excellent older employees (aged over 55) and fewer similar recruitment issues, so many people reason for using a specialist recruitment younger workers (aged 16-24) than the UK are in roles that are way beyond their consultancy, says Claudia Halabi. Every workforce as a whole (see page 29). comfort zones. You can end up with CVs candidate we represent has to attend a Claudia Halabi believes there is still a from facilities managers with no way of pre-screening registration interview where problem with attracting young people to telling what level theyre actually at. we delve into their CV in more detail. FM as a career, and providing suitable Claudia Halabi agrees the lack of Typical questions that we ask include pathways for them into the profession. I benchmarking in FM poses dif鍖culties. the square footage of any buildings they believe the lack of graduate opportunities Its true that it can be dif鍖cult to gauge manage, the size of their team or contracts/ in the FM space is contributing to the skills the level a facilities manager is at from budgets handled and what facilities services gap issue, she says. If you look at more their CV alone. For example, the number they are responsible for. established functions, they have strong of years of experience an FM professional In some larger organisations the level graduate pipelines with focused rotational has gained isnt actually that helpful an of responsibility can be very lean and programmes and on the job training. indication, especially if a candidate has only biased to one area, ie soft services, whereas This ensures that people dont simply worked at one organisation. a candidate on a similar salary bracket fall into a role and instead are making She does not, however, agree that could be working for a smaller 鍖rm and www.fmxmagazine.co.uk November 2011 fmx 21
- 3. INSIGHT RECRUITMENT There is a de鍖nite discrepancy between client side and service provider operational FM salaries managing a total FM service. Its only really candidates want to work for you? How well reacting to the current economic climate through this information that you can secure do you communicate that message? How by reducing their wage bill and squeezing the right perspective on their experience. competitive is your remuneration package salaries. This in turn is opening up new Ashleigh Brown argues that a long-term against your competitors? faultlines. Ashleigh Brown comments: partnership with a specialist recruiter is the Every aspect of the recruitment process I feel that there is a de鍖nite discrepancy best way to 鍖nd quality staff who are the is an opportunity to create a positive between client side and service provider right 鍖t. Align yourself with a specialist impression with candidates, she points operational FM salaries. My experience FM recruiter who will partner with your out, yet too many companies fall short. She has shown that client side roles tend to organisation, understanding the culture cites poor 鍖rst impressions, inconsistent be better paid than many service provider and aspirations of the company as well interview practices, poor interviewing equivalents, although the client side roles as the skills and experience needed when techniques, failure to communicate the are getting fewer and further between. recruiting staff, she advises. Moving exact requirements of the role, and appalling In the current market we are also seeing towards long-term collaboration between or non-existent interview feedback. service providers having to reduce margins a company and recruiting agency can Unfortunately, she concludes, in my to win a contract, which in turn 鍖lters pay immense dividends as agencies can 14 years experience I have seen some very down the line to what they can afford to be powerful ambassadors when trying to shoddy practices from clients, and when pay someone and still remain within their attract the best industry professionals. people have a poor experience they tell contracted budgets. This again opens up a You both need to fully explore what the their friends and colleagues and gradually whole new discussion on whether or not company is really seeking, and any time the reputation of the business is devalued. the person they can afford to bring on has spent with your recruitment agent will The question of remuneration is an the right level of skill and experience to allow them to become intricately involved interesting one. One of the unusual deliver what they need. in understanding your business needs. consequences of the lack of formal bench- Remember that you get what you pay Of course, the talent de鍖cit means its marks for FM professionals is the sheer for, she warns. Tying great people to not just about 鍖nding top talent its also disparity in salaries, says Claudia Halabi. your organisation 鍖nancially really helps about working harder to secure and retain Its not unheard of for two candidates with to eradicate losing your talent and thus it. Take a look at your own recruitment the same type of experience to have a salary preventing all their collected knowledge practices to see if youre doing all that differential of around 贈10,000. This causes of your company leaving with them when you can to attract the right people into complications when underpaid or overpaid they move elsewhere for a better salary. the right roles, says Nikki Dallas. Ask candidates come to market as the jump up Because if one thing is clear, it is that yourself, what are you doing to make or down to bring them to true market rate 鍖rst-rate FM professionals, however your organisation an employer of choice can hinder their recruitment prospects. they acquired their skills, are as much in within the FM industry? Why should At the same time, many employers are demand as ever fmx 22 fmx November 2011 www.fmxmagazine.co.uk