Hiring for office, business and admin support roles should be straightforward. So why do employers often struggle to find reliable office support staff who have the right skills, attitude and experience?
The problem is rarely a lack of candidates. More often, it comes down to how the role is defined, advertised and recruited.
If your office support recruitment isn’t delivering the people you need, here are some of the most common reasons - and what you can do differently.
Are you being too vague about the role?
“Administrator wanted” or “Office Assistant required” doesn’t tell a strong candidate very much.
What will they really be doing? Who will they support? What systems will they use? How much responsibility will they have? What does a successful first six months look like?
The more clearly you define the role, the easier it is to attract people who genuinely match it. Separate essential skills from desirable ones and think about the qualities that will make someone successful in your particular workplace. Technical skills are quickly learned by the right candidate, whereas personal qualities that just ‘fit’ are harder to develop.
A well-written job description also helps you assess candidates consistently.
Are you focusing too heavily on experience?
Experience matters, but could your requirements be unnecessarily narrow?
For example, if you insist on experience in exactly the same industry or a particular system, you could overlook candidates with excellent transferable skills.
For many office support roles, organisation, communication, attention to detail, initiative and reliability can actually be more important than having used a particular piece of software before. Yes, it may mean someone can’t absolutely hit the ground running, but their long-term value-added is likely to be greater.
Consider what someone needs to know on day one - and what you can teach them.
Are you moving quickly enough?
Good office support candidates are often in demand. If your recruitment process takes weeks with episodes of radio silence to the candidate, you risk losing them to another employer.
Look at every stage of your process. Is there a long application form that hiring managers skip over anyway? Does the job board or national agency you’re using insist on ridiculous time-consuming ‘quizzes’ and literacy/numeracy tests that screen out excellent candidates that value their time more highly? Are several interviews genuinely necessary? Are you taking too long to provide feedback? Do you have people dedicated to the recruitment process, rather than trying to juggle it alongside their day job?
A simple, well-organised process can make a significant difference to your time to hire and candidate experience.
Are you advertising in the right places?
Posting a vacancy and waiting for applications can work, but it isn’t always the most effective approach.
If you’re struggling to reach suitable candidates, business support recruitment or admin support recruitment through a specialist recruiter can give you access to the right people in the right way.
The right recruitment agencies in London can also understand the local candidate market and advise you on salary expectations, availability and how competitive your vacancy is.
Are you selling the opportunity as well as the job?
Candidates are assessing you, too.
A list of responsibilities and requirements may explain what you want, but does it explain why someone should want to work for you?
Think about what makes your business attractive. Is there flexibility, development, a supportive team, interesting work or genuine progression? Be honest rather than relying on generic phrases. Think about how you’re portrayed as an employer, not just a business.
Would specialist office support recruitment help?
If you repeatedly advertise without finding the right person, it may be time to rethink your approach rather than simply reposting the vacancy.
An experienced office support recruitment agency can help you define the role, benchmark the market, identify suitable candidates and manage the process from shortlist to offer.
Ultimately, successful office support recruitment is about more than filling an empty desk. When you get the role, process and candidate fit right, you’re far more likely to hire someone who becomes a reliable and valuable part of your business. Let us help – find out more about our office, business and admin support hiring.