Welcome to our August newsletter
Best wishes to all from the Recruitment Matters team!
This is our August newsletter featuring a mix of industry news, helpful information from recruitment industry experts, tips to help you improve and grow the profitability of your business and, of course, news from ourselves at Recruitment Matters about our training courses, products and services. We’re not featuring quite as many articles this month due to a couple of our regular contributors being on holiday, but there’s still plenty here to keep you entertained and informed.
You may remember that in our July issue, the 10 week countdown began to Recruitment Matters’ 10th Anniversary. Thanks to those of you who have taken advantage of our promotion so far. The original 10% discount offer has now ticked down to 6% but it’s still a great opportunity. If you have used our services between 1998 and 2007, then learn how you can still claim 6% discount off your next booking FOR EVERY YEAR that you have worked with us during this period ie up to 60% off!! But next week, it’s down to 5%, and the following week, 4%.... See the first article below for full details.
Monster’s Employment Index recorded a second straight month of decline in online recruitment activity, with year-on-year growth remaining unchanged at 5%. The index, which monitors online jobs boards, dropped by three points in July following a four point drop in June.
“Advertised vacancies remain well above last summer’s level, and demand in the education healthcare and tourism sectors remain elevated,” said Hugo Sellert, head of economic research at Monster Worldwide. The sector hardest hit by the month-on-month reduction in online hiring was the legal sector, which fell by 45 points in July, mirroring a trend experienced in previous years. The number of positions advertised online for craft and related workers, and skilled agricultural and fishery workers fell again in July, with a 26-point drop year on year, equivalent to a 10% drop in available positions.
Interestingly, in July, we at Recruitment Matters also conducted a ‘state of the recruitment industry’ survey amongst our clients. The outlook across 35 different sectors that we reviewed was remarkably mixed with a few sectors still forecasted for growth in the coming months – FMCG, documentation, video games, marketing, finance (Europe), accountancy and HR. Does this match with your market expectations for the next 6-12 months?
Featured below are three news items and reports that have particularly caught our eye recently, including one on Olympians having the same characteristics as great executives (haven’t the Olympics been sensational, by the way?), the issue of dealing with underperforming workers, and UK workers suffering from a lack of training – we suspect that a similar international survey would come to similar conclusions. Do any of our international readers have any further insight into the issue of sufficient training, or lack of it?
Elsewhere, we have another fine contribution from our networking expert, Will Kintish, with the second of two articles on ‘How to follow up and keep in touch.’ Our research expert David Steel is currently on a well-earned holiday and will be back next month. In the meantime, of course, we feature tips from our very own trainers, Warren Kemp and Matt Wilson. For more of our tips and advice, please visit http://www.recruitmentmatters.com/free.php
We like this to be very much an interactive newsletter and we welcome your comments and feedback and will be happy to feature your contributions on important industry issues and your advice on how to improve the success and professionalism of our marketplace. As you now know, in return, we show our gratitude by featuring a link to your company, as a contributor to this publication.
We at Recruitment Matters have a simple underlying philosophy to everything that we do, and that is, by helping each other to improve, we all stand to benefit in this large, dynamic and ever evolving industry.
Please send your potential editorial contributions to ken@recruitmentmatters.com.
10th Anniversary – still up to 60% discount opportunity
Recruitment Matters is in our 10th year of business. In 6 weeks time Recruitment Matters and founding trainer Warren Kemp will have been providing quality training and advice to the staffing industry for 10 years – it will be our 10 year anniversary. Yes - 10 years! Now, as you will know, we aren’t shy in making people aware of what we do, but we think you have to agree – 10 years in recruitment training and still kicking is pretty impressive.
Call it reciprocation/karma/what goes around - call it what you like, but we would like to thank you for the support you have given us over the years so that you can benefit from an outstanding opportunity.
As the countdown continues, we can still offer 6% discount off your next training booking for every year in the last decade you have supported us (that’s the 10 years from 1998 – 2007). Let us explain how it works.
For every year that you booked us for some form of training or support (it could be one person on a one day open course in 2004), with 6 weeks to go, you get 6% discount off your next booking. So, as an example, you called upon us in 1998, 2001 & 2007 that’s 3 x6% = 18% off the next training we do for you. If it’s booked this week! Next week is 5 weeks to go on the countdown to our anniversary, so we are offering 5% discount. Week -4 = 4% and so on, right through until the end of September.
So dig out your records – find out which years you paid us a fee and for every year in which you used us, you get 6% off. Couldn’t be simpler could it? If you miss this week thinking about it, then it’s down to 5% next week so get your skates on. If you’ve used us every year that’s potentially a 60% saving!
We conducted a recent survey through a questionnaire to our client base and those that responded received a fully detailed confidential report (thank you!) but, as a quick expose, a significant number of respondents said that motivating their staff in these economically challenging times was a major concern for them. Well, giving them some quality training (at a price that works for you) has got to help in many different ways. Email ken@recruitmentmatters.com under the heading ‘10th Anniversary Promotion’ or call Ken on 01945 461561 to seize this unique opportunity.
Olympians make great executives
Olympic athletes exhibit the same drive and skills required to make them successful as senior executives, says executive search consultant.Stuart Blake, managing director of Bayfield Executive Search and Selection. Blake said that top companies look for self-confidence, motivation, dedication, the desire to win and the ability to work as part of a team."It takes years of dedication, perseverance and ambition to become a senior executive or director so in that sense they are very much like athletes that make the Olympics. Our current Olympians have dedicated huge amounts of time and effort to make sure they are the best, often making huge sacrifices along the way."
Top Olympian success stories include: Adrian Moorhouse, a swimming gold medal winner in 1988 and managing director of performance consultancy Lane 4, 110m hurdler Colin Jackson, a silver medallist at the same Olympics and founder of multi-media production company, Red Shoes and former sprinter Sir Menzies Campbell, a competitor at the 1964 Games and former leader of the Liberal Democrats.
UK workers suffer from lack of training
UK workers are suffering from a lack of training, according to new research.
The research, from multi-sector recruiter Ranstad, found that 22% of job seekers claimed to have received training in the last month, while 57% said that the last time they attended a training course or workshop was more than six months ago.
Nicola Severn, spokesperson for Randstad said: “Encouraging staff training is vital in an environment where skills shortages are rife. There are pools of workers who have the potential to grow and thrive in their working environment but are never given the opportunity to do so. This can stunt development, prevent businesses from fully utilising their existing workforce, and ultimately impact on the UK economy. However, businesses that are expected to release employees for training should also be supported and will need ready access to flexible workers.”
Recruiters’ Guide to Networking Contributor: Will Kintish
How to follow up and keep in touch [2]
This is Will’s latest article on ‘working the room.’ Following on from last month, he shares more of his ideas with you on how to follow up and keep in touch.
8. Be persistent but don’t pester. All through the process ask permission to keep in touch.
9. File all cards you collect. You never know when you might need them. When detailed with useful information you rarely forget them.
10. Call at exactly the time you agreed and after the introduction try to bring some detail from the conversation at the event. Your objective should be to arrange a meeting.
12. Offer to send them some literature if they are not yet ready to meet you. Ask if you may contact them in two weeks to obtain their views. In your letter remind them when you will be calling.
13. Be persistent. Until your prospect says “no” keep following up. Your chances of doing business are better with this person than with someone where the process has to start from step one. Offer an escape route. e.g. “If you don’t think you can use my services please say and I’ll not contact you again”.
14. Make the first sale easy by offering a discount or a money back guarantee. This is called risk reversal; it is you who takes the chance and not them.
15. Stay in touch even after people say no; circumstances and people change. Send newsletters or interesting articles. If you don’t stay in touch you are quickly forgotten.
Will Kintish and his team show people how to attract more business and clients by helping them become more confident and effective business networkers. For more information, email willk@kintish.co.uk, visit www.kintish.co.uk or call 0161 773 3727.
After lunch
Arrange some activity that is meaningful after lunch – avoid the post lunch slump. It’s easy to phone home, surf the net for the weather report or 101 other things when you get back to your desk and it’s difficult to get back into the swing of work quickly. Instead, arrange to interview a candidate for that time slot or have a telephone meeting with a client.
As a rough rule of thumb, if it takes you 10 minutes to get back up to speed when you start the day and come back after breaks, that’s up to 40 minutes wasted every day - or half a day a week! I know I’m in danger of coming across like an anorak here. but that half day a week becomes 24 days a year or nearly 5 WORKING WEEKS A YEAR. If you add in your holiday entitlement & bank holidays to that total then if you are a consultant then you are trying to achieve your annual budgeted fee income on only 41 weeks of the year. If you are managing a business you will only ever have 80% of your team’s full capacity to hand.
Sort out the post lunch slump syndrome before it grabs you!
Warren Kemp is principal and lead trainer with Recruitment Matters. For more tips, advice and information on Recruitment Matters visit www.recruitmentmatters.com/free.php, telephone 0800 0749 289 or email warren@recruitmentmatters.com.
Do you carry the burden of underperformance?
Only 48% of businesses in the UK are dealing effectively with the problem of underperformance, according to recent research from Hay Group.
Since so many companies are failing to deal with poor performers, it comes as no surprise that 20% of workers are frustrated in their jobs. Many feel they lack the authority to make decisions that are crucial to their work, and over a third believe their job does not make the best use of their skills and abilities.
Frustrated workers are less likely to be productive in their roles and more likely to look for work elsewhere. Poor productivity stemming from job dissatisfaction may worsen if otherwise hard-working employees become aware that managers are turning a blind eye to their colleagues who put in a minimum amount of effort.
Ben Hubbard, Regional Director (EMEA) for management consultancy Hay Group, comments: “Tolerating poor performers will only compound the frustration of productive colleagues left to pick up the slack.
“Our research shows that the world’s most successful companies go the extra mile to identify, reward, engage and enable their best performers, while addressing ‘deadwood’. Those that fail to do so risk high-performing staff becoming frustrated, demotivated and potentially seeking pastures new.
“In times of economic uncertainty, organisations can ill-afford to carry the burden of underperformance.”
Recruitment Matters comment – time to book on our Managing Teams And Mentoring People course then!
Client interview preparation
You will need to spend some time finding out the proposed format for the interview and expected timescale. You may have to subtly get your client to change the structure of it and almost certainly sit down and explain to your client that this more of a meeting format than a discussion.
If you can, try to get an idea of the client’s interview style. A question very often missed is "Will there be anyone else present during the meeting with my candidate?" There is nothing quite so off-putting than expecting that you are going into meet with one person only to find out that it is a selection panel. Your candidate won't thank you for not letting him know in advance. Don't forget the two little words "Anyone else?" Depending on your relationship with the client, he may call you the day prior to interview to make sure all is well but most times it is beneficial for you to do it (that way you can do it after the candidate has called to give the OK). Do not miss this stage out and, at a bare minimum, get confirmation from a secretary that his diary is still unchanged. Similarly you will want to speak to him after the interview, but only once you have spoken to the candidate.
If, for any reason, you have not spoken to the candidate within 24 hours, you must call the client (and very quickly let him know you have not spoken to your candidate). As a rule of thumb, if you have been unable to contact the candidate by this time, it will not be good news, so do not be over enthusiastic at the start of the conversation with your client! Second interviews entail the same checking process but, at this stage, you will be able to pass on mutual feedback and questions to both client and candidate arising from the first meeting in order to ensure a healthy flow of information and further preparation.
Do not be surprised if after the second interview the client is unable to speak to you. Do not take it as bad news, he may simply wish to give it some thought or indeed have other people to see. (You should of course have ascertained previously if there were any other candidates other than your own in the frame). Your client may need to talk through possible salary package or start date with personnel before giving you an answer. Very few interviews will go drastically wrong if the candidate feels he had a fair and enjoyable hearing, although the outcome might not be to his and your liking. You can, however, be fairly confident that the client will still wish to do business with you again.
At every interview stage always ask for feedback on your candidate’s performance and qualify with the client any points raised. It will help all three parties in the future. You will have a better understanding of the type of ‘animal’ your client wants, your candidate will do better next time and your client will get a closer fit from you on the next occasion.
"You know, John, he really liked you and thought your questions were spot on, but I would not have said that it was the money that interested you quite so bluntly. He also said how well presented you were although I believe you were a couple of minutes late. Did you have difficulties finding their offices?"
Even if you have to ask the client to come back to you after looking at his notes, always chase until it happens. Remember, the client will feel that you take care of your candidates, and that you take your clients’ feedback seriously, too, even if it is a pain in the neck for him to do. It is important, therefore, in the early stages to inform your client that you will require feedback from any interviews.
Matt Wilson is a consultant with Recruitment Matters and is offering a wide range of courses for 2008. For more information on Recruitment Matters, our training courses, services and products visit www.recruitmentmatters.com, telephone 0800 0749289 or email info@recruitmentmatters.com.
Recruitment Matters news
We’ve told you once in this newsletter, we’ve told you twice, and now we’re telling you a third time! Recruitment Matters is celebrating our 10th Anniversary by launching the biggest promotion in our history. Many of you have already taken advantage of this great opportunity, including one of our clients who has been using our services for all 10 years and was, therefore, entitled to claim a free day of training! Even if you have only used us 2 or 3 times over the years, that means that, with this week’s discount set at 6% per year, you are still entitled to claim 12-18% discount off your next course booking. NOTE. This applies to both in-house and open courses, so please get in touch as soon as you can to maximise the benefits of this unique offer.
You may be aware that the centrepiece legislation for the new parliamentary year relates to the right to education and training for all and will therefore be the core message in the prestigious and authoritative 2009 Parliamentary Yearbook which will be published next March. Well, there will be 6 official ‘content partners’ of which Recruitment Matters is one of this select group which includes two previous national training awards winners Morrisons and DHL, as well as Oxford University and the London School of Economics! Recruitment Matters will be the only recruitment training company featured - we’ll have a double page spread feature in this publication which goes to all MP’s, heads of the top FTSE 300 companies and many MD’s of private and public companies including a number of recruiters. This is quite an accolade and, we believe, highly appropriate in our 10th Anniversary year as one of Europe’s leading staffing industry trainers.
We hope that you enjoyed Warren’s and Matt’s new tips for this month – you will find many more on our free tips page http://www.recruitmentmatters.com/free.php which is regularly updated.
For those of you with a new graduate intake, in particular, please note that we have a new date for our Two Day Introduction To Recruitment course which is now running on October 9/10th. Please see the schedule below for all our open course dates through to December 2008.
RECRUITMENT MATTERS: September – December 2008 Open Training Schedule
To download a booking form, please click here.
TWO DAY INTRODUCTION TO RECRUITMENT
‘Induction for new recruits'
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Sep 3/4th – Manchester
Sep 25/26th – London
Oct 29/30th – Birmingham
Nov 5/6th – London
Investment £495+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £425+VAT
Link
INTERVIEW SKILLS FOR RECRUITERS
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Sep 30th – London
Oct 8th – Birmingham
Nov 25th – London
Dec 3rd – Manchester
Investment £245+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £195+VAT
Link
WINNING NEW BUSINESS
‘Telephone Skills For Recruiters'
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Sep 11th – Manchester
Oct 2nd – London
Nov 13th – Birmingham
Dec 10th – London
Investment £245+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £195+VAT
Link
SUCCESSFUL HEAD-HUNTING
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
Sep 2nd – Birmingham
Sep 9th – London
Sep 12th – Bournemouth
Sep 30th – Manchester
Oct 7th – London
Oct 14th – Birmingham
Oct 24th – London
Nov 4th – Manchester
Nov 11th – London
Nov 25th – London
Dec 2nd – Bristol
Dec 15th – Birmingham
Dec 16th – London
Investment £325+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £245+VAT
Link
HEAD-HUNTING FOR RESEARCHERS AND RESOURCERS
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Sep 2nd – London
Sep 10th – Manchester
Oct 7th – London
Oct 14th – Birmingham
Nov 11th – London
Nov 18th – Manchester
Dec 2nd – Birmingham
Dec 9th – London
Investment £295+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £225+VAT
Link
NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR RECRUITERS (half day)
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Oct 1st – London
Nov 19th – Birmingham
Investment £99+VAT. "No Negotiation!"
Link
RECRUITING IN A TOUGH MARKET (half day)
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
Sep 19th – Manchester
Oct 10th – London
Nov 14th – Birmingham
Dec 5th – London
Investment £99+VAT
Link
BUILDING & RUNNING AN EFFECTIVE SEARCH DESK (two days)
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
Sep 23/24th – London
Dec 11/12th – London
Investment £595+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £495+VAT
Link
GAINING CLIENT COMMITMENT (half day)
'Secure More Profitable Vacancies'
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Running Time: 9.30am - 1.00pm
Sep 5th – Birmingham
Oct 23rd – London
Nov 26th – Manchester
Dec 4th – Birmingham
Investment £149+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £129+VAT
Link
MANAGING TEAMS AND MENTORING PEOPLE (half day)
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Sep 23rd – London
Sep 24th – Birmingham
Oct 15th – London
Nov 12th – Birmingham
Dec 11th – Manchester
Dec 16th – London
Investment £149+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £129+VAT
Link
TRAIN THE TRAINER (two days)
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
Oct 21/22nd – London
Nov 25th/26th – Birmingham
Investment £595+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £495+VAT
Link
For more information on these courses and our other services and products, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com, email info@recruitmentmatters.com or call Emma or Ken on 0800 0749289 or, if you’re overseas, 0044 1483 755559.
Contact us
Recruitment Matters
2 Oakfield Road
Coventry CV6 1ED
UK
Tel: 0800 0749289
Fax: 01483 761709
Email: info@recruitmentmatters.com
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