Kat Heague - Recruiter Profile | Harnham Recruitment

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Kat Heague

Partner

Bio

Kat’s career in recruitment commenced in 2003 in the Technology sector. Since joining Harnham as a Partner in 2007, she has helped establish and expand the Harnham brand, providing expert consultancy services to a diverse range of global clients in the Data & Analytics sector.

After building the Marketing & Insight, Digital Analytics and Corporate Accounts functions, she now works in an operational capacity, providing support and consultancy to Business Development and Marketing departments.

Harnham blog & news

With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & Analytics sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.

Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out our recent posts below.

Seven Ways To Minimise Unconscious Bias In Your Recruitment Process

When it comes to the recruitment process, organisations will often take different approaches to securing their next hire. Yet, one challenge that remains the same across the board is the ubiquitous nature of unconscious bias. This typically means that individuals will favour those that look or think similarly to themselves. Not only is the potential for prejudice to arise an alarming issue here, but the impacts of unconscious bias can also have a detrimental effect on the hiring process, in both the short and long term. You could face missing out on a highly skilled and qualified candidate, as well as damaging opportunities for improving the diversity of the business. In order to address unconscious bias, organisations really need to take a moment to reflect and challenge their perceptions on the positive and the negative implications. Our own research demonstrates the opportunities of bolstering not only a diverse team in Data and Analytics, but an inclusive one too. Here are some core ways in which organisations can challenge and adapt their processes: Check your job descriptions It’s one of the simplest changes to make, but far too often overlooked. Many of us will use gender coded language without even realising it. It is therefore critical that all job descriptions are neutral, and that descriptive language is removed. Masculine-coded words such as ‘confident’ and ‘guru’ and feminine-coded words such as ‘understanding’ and ‘modest’ can really discourage individuals from applying for positions. Make use of panel-based interviews Over the past year, we’ve all become accustomed to a much more virtual way of working, which includes the recruitment process. Our reliance on technology now plays an integral role in how we interview, test and hire candidates. When interviewing candidates, organisations should involve a range of different people (even if this is just in an observational role), as they may challenge your preconceptions and provide an alternative viewpoint. Instead of only involving the CEO and Managing Director, for example, make sure you have individuals from other departments and areas within the team sitting in too. Interviews should instead focus on skills-based tasks In order to minimise the unconscious bias that permeates the recruitment process across industries, interviews need to focus on skills-based tasks. Importantly, hiring managers should be assessing the suitability for a role, so practical, skills-focused tasks are important in establishing this. Appoint an external inclusion agency If you’re stuck for where to start when it comes to improving the ways in which you plan and execute your hiring strategies, it could be worthwhile to seek support from an external agency or individual that specialises in inclusion. Their insights, experiences and knowledge will be able to support an organisation to ensure that their hiring process minimises the impacts of unconscious bias. Facilitating discussions and training In the same way that liaising with external experts can support an organisation, so to can introducing training sessions. Stamping out unconscious bias requires us all to challenge our ways of thinking to create an inclusive culture for all. Regardless of whether this is during the recruitment process, through onboarding or once an individual is working within the business, facilitating discussions and training can help. It should be noted though, that generalised training to minimise unconscious bias training isn’t always effective, so this should be assessed and planned according to relevant objectives and goals. Advertise roles through different channels To ensure that you are reaching a diverse pool of talent, hiring managers should ensure that positions are advertised across a range of different platforms. It may be the case that highly skilled professionals from different backgrounds do not all source new positions through the same websites or streams. Improving this access will ensure that you are not selecting candidates from the same pool of talent. Set specific diversity and inclusion goals It’s crucial to remember that taking steps to minimise and remove these biases is just one part of a much bigger challenge that organisations are facing in order to action change. Firms need to assess their long-term diversity and inclusion goals in order to ensure that removing biases is part of an embedded strategy. Internal strategies must be reviewed and assessed in order to ensure that the approach to the recruitment process provides equal and fair access and opportunities for all to thrive. In the Data and Analytics sector, it’s key for leaders to take action to mandate some core strategies to engage and include a diverse team of talent. If you're looking to make your next hire, or are searching role yourself, get in touch with our expert consultants or take a look at our latest Data & Analytics jobs here.

by Kat Heague

14. January 2021

How To Effectively Prepare For An Interview

If you’re preparing for an interview, video or otherwise, it’s important to think beyond Googling ‘common interview questions’ and scanning the company’s website. It’s important to make a great first impression and by preparing properly, you’re in a better position to achieve this. Plus, you’ll feel more confident and will be able to give more convincing answers that will help prove why you’re the perfect fit for the role. With that in mind, here are our recommendations for how to best prepare for an interview: Find out what type of interview it is Even if a company isn’t working entirely remotely, it’s likely you’ll face a variety of interviews throughout a their application process. Most processes last between two and three stages of interviews, any many vary in how these are conducted. They could be: Face to Face – Expect these to last between 45 minutes and 2 hours. The questions will be likely be strengths- or competency-based. Phone – This is often used early in the process, we’d expect these to last approximately 30 minutes and are designed to get a feel for your skillset and experience. Video – These are becoming increasingly popular with employers, and can be live or pre-recorded. They tend to last around 30 minutes. Assessment Centres – You’ll attend these with other candidates and take part in a variety of tasks presentations, team exercises and psychometric tests lasting a full day. Get to know the company Don’t just look at their About Us page. Read about them, their clients and their products or services. This will help you learn about what they do but also learn how they see themselves as business and what they feel makes them different from their competitors. This will help your interviewer understand you ‘get’ them and understand their business. Research the team As well as getting to know the company, we’d recommend taking a look at your interviewer’s LinkedIn profile and seeing what they’ve posted and where they’ve come from. Also, take a look at the “Meet the team” pages on the website to gain an insight into who you may be meeting throughout your process. Glassdoor is a good place to go for company reviews but take them as a guide not fact as they’re anonymous reviews by current or former employees. Prepare your own questions It’s likely your interviewer will ask what questions you have for them. This is a great opportunity for you to get the information you need to figure out if this is a job you really want and can see yourself doing. Think about what you really want to know about the position and the company. Things to think about could be: What are the biggest challenges in this position? What would be the expectations of me 3/6/12 months in? Could you describe what a typical day is like in this position? Not only does this help you build a bigger picture of what this job would look like, your questions show a deeper engagement in the role and company, much more so than asking basic questions such as “What’s the salary? What is the holiday allowance? What are the working hours?”. It’s perfectly normal to write down your questions and take them into your interview to avoid forgetting any questions you wanted to know the answers to, so don’t feel as though you can’t do this. Re-read the job description Spend time highlighting the responsibilities in the job description and thinking how your experience equips you to meet these. Try to prepare concrete examples from your past that back up why you’d be great for the role. How have you dealt with challenges or what successes have you had that you can link to how you’d be successful in this role? Try to come up with at least 5 solid examples or stories to talk through in the interview. Write down questions you’re likely to be asked There are some questions you can almost guarantee on being asked such as “tell me about yourself” or “what is your biggest weakness”. It’s also likely you’ll be asked questions around your interest in the role and the company and why you applied. Be prepared to talk about numbers, in particular any significant impact that your previous projects have made on a business. For each question you think of jot down a few notes or bullet points to build upon instead of writing out an entire answer and trying to remember it word for word. Practice saying your answers Practising your answers out loud and looking in the mirror will help you clarify your answers and make you more comfortable during the interview. Try doing a mock interview with a friend or family member to help polish your delivery and boost your confidence in what you’re saying. Dress accordingly Figure out what to wear to the interview by asking what the office dress code is before the interview. If the business has a business casual or business dress code, it’s appropriate to wear a suit for males and females to dress in smart business attire. Make sure your outfit and shoes are clean and your bag/briefcase is emptied of any rubbish and packed with interview essentials: pens, a notepad, a copy of your CV, list of questions, mints, business card. These may seem obvious, but employers do take note and still make judgements based on how you present yourself. If you’re looking to take the next step in your career, or if you’re looking for help with your next hiring process, we can help. Take a look at our latest opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to find out more.

by Kat Heague

07. April 2020

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