The summer months have traditionally provided membership bodies with ‘time out’ to plan/prepare for member focused activity taking place in September and November.
A lot of new staff recruitment related activity tends to grind to a halt and we think this is a MASSIVE opportunity missed particularly if you are looking for a ‘Super Hero’.
Why? It is critical for new, member-facing staff to gain the knowledge/insight they need to deliver this activity, so if recruitment is delayed, this will mean a lot more pressure on new starters and will risk the quality of member-focused activity. There’s ‘hitting the ground running’ and there’s unrealistic expectations of even the most seasoned membership superhero!
Meeting skill, knowledge and competency requirements is critical for 21st century membership bodies, so we recommend you consider new staff recruitment sooner rather than later. Recent research suggests that it can be challenging and time consuming to fill a vacancy with a suitable candidate1.
In order to excel, some of the attributes you may be looking for include: customer service skills, data proficiency, attention to detail, IT competence, resilience and creativity (to name a few). Contradictory to media reports about other sectors, fortunately there is an abundance of these in those working in membership bodies and associations.
Hiring the right person is critical to organisational success and wasting valuable resources trawling mass-populated and automated online pools is not the recommended way to go. If the research is true, then it could mean a bit of a wait, right?
Perhaps, but it is a good idea to start this activity early anyway. Recruiting the right candidate early will enable you to deliver more effective member facing activity in a more robust manner.
Myth Buster – Not everyone is on holiday during July/August
As leaders in the sector MemberWise can support organisations looking for that their next talent to deliver effective change and service excellence. Our Jobs Board Service provides the opportunity to tap into our membership of over 5,000 professionals who are making a difference in a wide range of roles/levels of seniority.
We appreciate that it can take a bit longer than expected to recruit into a position sometimes so we offer a free extension to all job advertisements should they be required.
If you are a membership body looking to recruit or a candidate looking for your next challenge in the 4th Quarter of 2019 please do visit the MemberWise Jobs Board today!
1 https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/lmo-spring-2019_tcm18-57463.pdf (CIPD and The Adecco Group)
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