In this month's newsletter...

Welcome to our February newsletter

Best wishes to all from the Recruitment Matters team!

This is our February 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.

Following on from our article last month about the jobs slowdown, we have noted a number of contradictory reports. For example, a recent REC survey presents some optimistic findings, in contrast to statistics presented by HR consultancy Right Management with an altogether more cautious prognosis. See our article ‘Mixed Signals’ below for more information and alternative viewpoints.

Certainly, we had a great turnout for the first in our series of ‘Recruiting In A Tough Market 2008’ courses in London earlier this month – hopefully we’re doing our bit to improve the overall picture. Featured later is a review by Lowri Gray who was one of the attendees on the day. Next up, we’re in Manchester on March 14th.

As you know, we had a very positive response from you last year to the ‘Recruiters’ Guide to Handling Researchers’ series of articles contributed by David Steel of Exacta Research. Well, we’re pleased to say that he’s back this month, this time with a feature on why and when to use research.

We also have information and projections on this year’s graduate market where the general picture is generally upbeat, although patchy in different sectors, and some concerns are voiced about whether sufficient numbers of graduates will come equipped with the requisite skills demanded by some employers

Here, at Recruitment Matters, we are considering entering the graduate recruitment arena, whereby we will offer the right calibre and profile of graduate for the recruitment industry supported by a package of training to ensure that they – and their employers – get off to the best possible start in their careers. To hear more about our thoughts, please email ken@recruitmentmatters.com or call 01945 461561.

We have another contribution this month from our networking expert, Will Kintish, who will be sharing many great networking tips with us today and in 2008 – this time, it’s the first of two features on ‘Working the room – how to start.’

We also have some great tips from Neil Kirby and our very own trainers, Warren Kemp and Matt Wilson. For more 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 will see below, in return, we will 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 fast-growing industry.
Please send your potential editorial contributions to ken@recruitmentmatters.com.

Mixed signals on market prospects for 2008

Here are four different snippets on the current state of the job market…

1. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC’s) Industry Research Unit has published its monthly tracking research results for the last quarter of 2007.

The results found continued strong performance and increased employer optimism about growth prospects for both temporary agency workers and permanent staff. The trade body said that this ‘reality check’ provided a welcome counter to some of the more negative recent assessments on the outlook for the UK’s labour market.

Summing up the findings, Roger Tweedy, the REC’s Director of Research commented: “During this period of uncertainty and heightened economic speculation, it is important to focus on what is really happening on the ground. This research provides an invaluable reference point for recruiters and confirms that 2007 was another good year for the sector.
The feedback from agencies on our Steering Group confirms that this pattern has continued into 2008 with January results ahead of forecast. The uncertainty in the wider economy has certainly not yet hit most recruiters.”

Overall, employers and agencies in 2007 were more optimistic about the demand for temporary agency workers in the next 12 months than they were in 2006.

2. January’s Bank of Scotland Labour Market Report indicates that growth in the Scottish job market continued to moderate at the start of 2008, as slowing demand for staff was reflected in the subdued rate of staff appointments and easing pay pressures.

3. Between a quarter and a half of UK employees think they will lose their jobs in 2008.  This is the top line finding from a research published by pensions and employee benefits consultants Hymans Robertson.

4. As the credit crunch continues to tighten its hold, UK jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, according to research by HR consultancy Right Management.

The Right Management Outplacement Index reveals that December was a particularly difficult time for British job hunters. The average applicant required 5 interviews to secure a new job in December compared to an average of just 3.68 interviews throughout 2007 as a whole. Across the year, employees attended an average of 4.78 interviews before finding a new position in 2007.

The index found that many jobseekers are accepting lower pay when finding a new job after redundancy. For the year beginning January 2007, 69% of Brits going through redundancy landed a job with equal or higher pay to their previous position. In December 2007 this figure dropped to 56%, with 44% accepting a job on lower pay.

Tony Martin, Right Management general manager, says: "A slowing job market is always worrying news for employees, and as the UK enters a period of economic uncertainty we can expect more redundancies in the coming year. Despite this predicted downturn, we expect the long-term outlook to be more positive for employees, with the skills shortage encouraging employers to retain their top talent."

So, overall a very mixed picture – inevitably this is only topline analysis. What’s happening in your sector of the market? We would be very pleased to hear from you. ken@recruitmentmatters.com .

Recruiters’ Guide to Networking

Working the room – how to start [2]. 
This is Will’s second article on ‘working the room.’ Next month, he’ll look at how to make the right impression.

13.   Be bold if you forget peoples’ names, simply say “please forgive me; I have forgotten  your name”. People will not be offended.

14. Associate their name with mind pictures. Picture Jim King with a crown on his head lifting weights. You are never likely to forget him.

15. Introduce yourself if the person you’re with doesn’t introduce you.  The chances are they have forgotten the name, that’s why they haven’t been able to introduce you.

16. Listen attentively and actively. Use body language to show that you’re interested.

17. Dress appropriately for the occasion. If you want to be different, consider most carefully what image you wish to portray.

18.   Adapt your conversation to the event and the people you are with; you have to be a  person for all seasons.

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.

Graduate outlook

Firms are planning to take on more graduates this summer, with manufacturing companies predicting the biggest increase in higher education recruits, according to a study by Incomes Data Services (IDS).

The research of almost 100 companies showed that finance companies believed they will hire fewer graduates, mainly because of the "credit crunch" facing the sector.The study predicted a 12% increase in graduate recruits this summer, lower than last year, rising to 31% in manufacturing.

Steve Tatton, editor of the report, said: "It is evident that the graduate labour market is holding up, but it is fragile at present and a bad turn in the economy could easily tip what currently seems to be a modest jobs boom into a jobs bust.

The study also showed that graduate recruitment increased by over 18% last year, but the public sector was putting a brake on recruitment this year, expecting growth to be around 7%.

Graduate job vacancies will rise this year but employers anticipate difficulties filling them, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

The survey predicts graduate vacancies to rise by 16.4% and salaries are expected to increase modestly by 2%, bringing the median salary for new graduates to £24,000. It found that fewer companies are giving graduates "golden hellos", 33% down from 35% in 2006, and these are predicted to be around £2,000 in 2008.

It found that 56% of employers surveyed said that not enough candidates held the right skills, while 43% said there were not enough applicants with the right qualifications.

AGR's chief executive, Carl Gilleard, says: "The findings of our 2008 survey will make encouraging reading for graduates entering the workforce this year, as the market appears to be as buoyant as it has been for the past five years.

"However, the anticipated recruitment shortfall makes worrying reading, particularly in certain sectors, where recruiters fear they will not fill a significant number of the vacancies available."

Say What You Mean

Perhaps we should be more direct sometimes with what we say to clients. With tongue firmly in cheek, we’ve come up with some standard recruitment phrases and discovered what they actually mean……

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.

A change of perspective