Whatever age you are, there will be a point in your life where you will be looking for a job. Perhaps as a school or university leaver, perhaps as someone recently made redundant, coming back to work after having or raising kids, or as someone looking for a career change.

For all, it can be an anxious time, not least with recent headlines showing unemployment at a five-year high, but also thanks to one word which features heavily in most job adds. Experience.

For Sheldon Bosley Knight’s director, Gary Simpson, this word became such a bugbear when he himself was looking for work, it inspired him to develop a more unconventional approach to hiring staff when he set up his company, Bayzos – one which puts the person’s character at the heart of the process.

He said: “Recruitment and retention are two of the biggest challenges any business faces today and getting the right people in the right roles makes all the difference.

“Looking for work after I left university, following a stint in the army, all the adverts asked for experience. I’d got experience of life but not necessarily for the role which was being advertised.

“I also found once I had got a job, there was no training to help me.

“When I set up Bayzos I decided to do things differently by focusing on the individual, their character and potential.

“You can train someone up, to give them the tools and confidence to do the job, especially if it’s one where they have no experience. But you can’t teach or train them to be polite, to be of good character or to understand emotion. That is a naturally learned thing.”

This unconventional approach has also included shunning the formal interview setting and process for something far more informal.

Gary said: “Interviews can also be difficult for some, so I adopt a much more relaxed approach in terms of questions and location ensuring the candidate is put at ease.

“The retention of good, loyal, hardworking staff is also crucial. Once you have someone who is thriving in their role, the last thing you need is for them to leave because you didn’t listen to them or enable them to grow within the business.”

Gary believes his approach has paid dividends with high staff retention across the Bayzos brand and an increase in applicants from his personal messages on social media.

He said: “The results speak for themselves but I continue to refine and add to the training tools we offer our staff so they remain confident and empowered in their roles.

“If they think of ways to make the training better or have ideas to add more tips, it’s important to listen because ultimately it benefits everyone.”

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