You can’t get the staff these days.

How often have you heard that said?

It’s true that there are some skills gaps in the marketplace and we sometimes think that people in general, are less courteous, aren’t able to communicate well and have an “attitude”.

As the (rather annoying) current phrase goes ..”Whatever!”

Because, as business leaders aren’t we sometimes guilty of not looking inward? If we only look for negative traits - why are we surprised that we only see the negative in people? And anyway, what if it’s our fault by recruiting people into the wrong roles?

Let’s talk about Selection. Not Recruitment but Selection - the bit where the Agency sends along your list of prospective employees. This seems to be where SME’s in particular struggle and usually get it wrong. Without the backing of a large HR department it’s difficult to know:

• What am I looking for?
• How will I know when I see it?
• Who is right for this role?
• How do I know I’m being objective?

As a training provider we are increasingly asked for help in this area so here are 7 quick tips that will help you avoid costly mistakes if you are thinking of “interviewing” someone for a job.

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We’ve not done this for a while, so here’s a list of all the new companies who have joined the Chamber over the last few months.

Welcome aboard!

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Liverpool Chamber is aware of the impact the current postal strikes are having on local companies, especially small businesses for whom delayed cheques can be especially troubling.

If you are looking for the latest news on the situation, we suggest you visit this page on the royal mail website. You can also sign up for email updates on the developing situation.

We would also advise, wherever possible, to try to work around the Royal Mail at this time. Many companies will have broadband connections now, so even large files can be transferred electronically. Free online web applications such as GMail and Yahoo allow for large file storage and transfer. You can also upload, for free, large files to online storage websites such as Fileden or Ewedrive allowing you to grant access to them to colleagues, suppliers or customers.

Although not ideal for all, these solutions may help some of you until we get the postal deliveries back.