At Rockingham Forest, we fully endorse the suggestion that associations should be open to job applicants from outside the sector (“No way in”, 15 October, page 28).

In the past six months, we have employed four new staff (one in a senior management post) and none of them has come from the sector.

Despite this, they have enhanced our business in ways that someone from a housing background may have found difficult.

They all see the world differently, they try new ways of doing things and they encourage the existing staff to question their approach. To be honest, they are a breath of fresh air for our organisation.

The senior manager is from an army background and had access to the training and development resources of the armed forces – and we are now reaping the benefits.

As a sergeant-major at Sandhurst, he developed excellent communication, motivational, organisational and team skills and is well used to working under pressure. People like this are not in the least bit fazed by the Housing Corporation’s performance indicators.

The other staff we have recruited bring an equally impressive range of skills from the private sector. In particular, they are very customer-focused and cost-conscious, which are important attributes in today’s housing sector.

I find that people who have worked in social housing for a long time can find these particularly difficult concepts to grapple with.

My advice for anyone who is considering recruiting from outside the sector is, go for it. If you have a robust recruitment procedure, you should be able to identify applicants with talent and potential. They are likely to reward your faith in them with energy, commitment and enthusiasm. The housing skills, they can learn.

Rosemarie Anderson, chief executive, Rockingham Forest Housing Association

Source

Housing Today