This month’s interview is with Diana Anderson. Diana Anderson is Director at Anderson Hoare, a recruitment agency with 30 years’ experience placing and training high-quality EAs, PAs, and Office Managers for individuals, families and businesses.
Are more companies on the lookout for top talent?
Diana: Absolutely, we’ve seen a recent surge in businesses reorganising their teams and structures as they look at how they want to function in a post-pandemic world.
Employing the right talent has never been more important and business leaders are looking for employees with fresh ideas and strong reputations of their own who can help drive the business forward in an uncertain, yet exciting, marketplace.
Attracting the right kind of talent will help with job retention, reducing the need to re-hire in the future while encouraging a similar calibre of talent to want to work with you.
What challenges do companies face when trying to compete for talent?
Diana: Competition from their competitors is fierce – being able to retain talent is one thing, finding fresh talent is another. It’s not always remuneration that compels talent to choose one company or employer over another. Lifestyle options are especially important, particularly as we come out of the pandemic and a period of prolonged WFH that has seen our personal and professional lives become blended.
Does an executive’s reputation also play a role?
Diana: It can have a huge impact. Top talent is in demand and candidates will research the reputation of the executive before taking a job.
Talent will often work extremely closely with their executives and great talent will always want to up their game by aligning themselves with an outstanding executive who will help them grow and ultimately create a stronger image and reputation for themselves.
The combined reputations of the individuals in the business have a bigger impact and overall reach than the general business reputation, which many people will already know about and will assume has been the same for years.
How does this set them apart from the competition?
Diana: We all work in a world where personal contacts, trust and connections matter – even more so now. Who we choose to engage in business with often depends on the individuals' reputation of certain employees rather than the business or the product/service they provide.
Why do job seekers look to work for company leaders that have a good reputation?
Diana: Job seekers know good leadership drives the reputation of the business and will, in turn, reflect well on the status of the employee as they progress through their career.
Additionally, good talent is now more concerned with the lifestyle impact of their job – a company leader with a reputation for bad management, for example, will negatively impact the desirability of working for their company.
Why is important to attract the right talent?
Diana: The executive assistant market is extremely competitive, many of the EAs we work with have worked alongside the same principal for multiple years, supporting them through their career. Attracting the right kind of talent will help with job retention, reducing the need to re-hire in the future while encouraging a similar calibre of talent to want to work with you.
In what ways do top talent drive business success?
Diana: Good talent brings with them a fresh audience, invigorating new ideas and a boost of motivation. Externally, news of their hire helps amplifies the company’s voice in the market. Internally, top talent drives growth by raising productivity among existing team members.
Has the COVID 19 pandemic brought on challenges for companies looking to retain talent?
Diana: Yes, whilst remote working has its benefits it doesn’t suit everyone. Good businesses have invested in providing individuals with wellbeing support and this will be really important going forward.
Remote working has also led to individuals feeling less connected with the business they work for, it takes a strong, empathetic leader to communicate well with talent and to foster a feeling of openness and community within a workforce who are working in silo - often spread across the country, or even globe.
About Diana Anderson
Diana Anderson is Director at Anderson Hoare. Anderson Hoare is a recruitment agency with 30 years’ experience placing and training high-quality EAs, PAs, and Office Managers for individuals, families and businesses.
About The Lede
This article was originally published in The Lede, Transmission Private’s monthly newsletter that tracks the future of reputation management. Featuring interviews with leading private client advisers from the worlds of law, finance, and accountancy, sign up today to receive the newsletter in your inbox every month.
