Contents

The only recruitment metric that matters

'Train The Trainer' Masterclass

Are you a Recruitment Bore?

Getting the best from your team

Corleone 'An offer you can't refuse'

'Porcupine' questions

Recruitment Matters news

Apr - July 2012 training schedule

Welcome to our Spring newsletter

This is our Spring 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, lots of news from ourselves at Recruitment Matters International about our training courses, products and services.
 
Spring is traditionally a time for optimism when the days are longer and everything starts growing again. Certainly in our industry there seem to be plenty of company reports and announcements that suggest optimism for 2012 is reasonably well founded. For example, see our extract from the Reed Job Index suggesting that the UK labour market is heading in the right direction. Do you agree?
 
First, a quick reminder that if you’ve recently taken on new recruits or are planning to shortly, we’ve got our very popular Two Day Introduction To Recruiting course running regularly in Birmingham, London and Manchester in the coming months.
 
Also, in recent weeks we’ve launched two great new courses – one on Candidate and Client Control. The other is quite different - it’s our Five Day ‘Train The Trainer’ Masterclass which is featured later in this newsletter.
 
For more on our future plans please read the ‘Recruitment Matters News’ section of this newsletter.
 
We came across an amusing blog recently from Robert Wright of NRG on ‘How to spot you’re a Recruitment Bore.’ You?? Surely not!! Well, read the article and decide for yourself..
 
We couldn’t let our newsletter go by without featuring one of Greg Savage’s blogs, this time on what Greg suggests is the only recruitment metric that matters.
 
What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather?  According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty. Check out his article ‘An offer you can’t refuse’ for some good leadership tips based on advice from The Godfather himself.
 
We’re grateful to Francesca James of Fresh Business Thinking for a very comprehensive article on using Google Plus for business.
 
Elsewhere, one of our regular contributors, David Steel, director of Exacta Research, offers his thoughts on the benefits, or otherwise, of using social media for recruiting candidates..
 
This month, our ‘Marketing Mentor’ (and associate trainer) Alastair Campbell suggests that if you’ve done well, it would be beneficial to shout about it.
 
Our own trainer & MD, Warren, has two more tips for you this month – some sound advice for managers on getting the best from your team - and another on how to handle ‘porcupine’ questions.
 
Here at RMI, we have a terrific line-up of courses scheduled right through until July, so please have a good look at our latest training schedule as well as reading our news section.

We very much like this to be 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 know, in return, we show our gratitude by featuring a link to your company, as a contributor to this publication.

We at Recruitment Matters International 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.

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The only recruitment metric that matters

Contributor: Greg Savage, The Savage Truth. www.gregsavage.com.au
 
Greg’s original blog http://gregsavage.com.au/2012/02/21/the-only-recruitment-metric-that-matters/
 
You have a lot of things to do in your job. Am I right?
You are super-busy all the time. Candidates to interview. Resumes to prepare. References to take. Sales calls to make. Visits to go on. Calls to return. Admin to tie up. Your company also has a raft of KPI’s and activities they want you to meet. It never ends.
 
And it’s all so important
 
But bring it in tight everyone. There is only one thing you need to measure when it comes to being a perm or search recruiter.
The golden metric.
How many of your candidates are sitting opposite your clients?
That is it.
 
‘Client Candidate Interviews’, or CCIs as we call them at Firebrand.
Yes, our ultimate goal is placements. And the happy clients, happy talent and happy us that will result from lots of placements. But placements are the outcome. We don’t make the job offer. So we can’t control the outcome.
 
We need to focus on the activity that leads to the outcome.
 
What is the one thing that must happen for a talent to be hired?
They get interviewed!
 
Everything else you do in this job either leads up to that happy moment, or supports the outcome of that event. (Of course quality counts too. You have to take qualified job spec and find great talent and make a great match. But that’s a given, right?).
 
The reality is that if you arrange for one candidate to sit opposite one client in one week, you can by definition make… one placement! And only then if all the recruiting Gods are smiling on you.
 
But if you get three interviews on different jobs you could get three placements. Or three interviews on the same job, exponentially increases your chances of one placement. And if you get 15 candidates sitting in interviews…
 
The point is you got to make lots and lots of interviews! So obvious I know. Yet I often hear what a great week a recruiter had, and when I dig a little… busy, busy, busy… but no CCIs!

It’s in the CCI that the magic happens!
 
So you have had a ‘busy’ week. Go, go, go. You are so tired. So satisfied you have given it your all.
Ask yourself as you open that first beer Friday at 6 pm.
“How many of my candidates are sitting down opposite my clients as a result of what I did this week?”
None?
#Fail
 
About The Savage Truth. Based in Australia and written by Greg Savage, The Savage Truth is a resource of insights and ideas for anyone interested in recruitment and staffing. To contact Greg please email: gsavage@firebrandtalent.com

 

'The ‘Marketing Mentor’ - Marketing Advice for Recruitment Companies 

Contributor: Alastair Campbell, The Marketing Mentor Programme.
NOTE. See our schedule for the latest dates of Alastair’s new marketing course for recruiters, exclusively developed in conjunction with RMI.
 
Show off your strengths
If you’ve done a great job – tell people about it!
 
Recruitment executives are not traditionally known for their shyness or modesty.  Yet when it comes to letting the world (or at least key prospects) know about what they have been up to they tend to go surprisingly quiet.
Think about it, who would you prefer to work with? A company which has won awards, has enthusiastically learnt from its customers, and supports community or industry activities - or a company who does none of those things? Most of us would like to work with companies who are clearly doing and showing their good work. Interestingly a lot of companies I speak to have either been nominated for or won awards, but they feel almost embarrassed to display any sign of achievement. Similarly many companies I know have received glowing testimonials from customers - but many do nothing with them at all.  They get tucked away in a drawer or gather dust in a folder. Other companies still will support the local children's football team or rugby team or other community-based organisations – but then don't seem to mention it to their customers or even their staff.
 
Whilst these activities will not necessarily generate any new enquiries (although an award displayed on your website or front door may do) it will help to convert more sales. Potential customers admire companies who have achieved something with their business.  So how to make the most of your accolades? Here are a few ideas:
If you have a presentation room, a sales meeting room or indeed any space in the company where clients may come to meet you, it is a good idea to put some time and thought into the sorts of displays you have on your walls. A reproduction of a Constable painting may look pretty, but is unlikely to close the deal. Better to display certificates, trophies, photographs and other images showing a dynamic forward thinking company that is recognised either by the industry or the local community. It's surprising the positive effect images such as this will have on your prospects. Everybody likes dealing with successful companies, and if you can demonstrate clearly that you are a successful business, people are keener to deal with you than your competitors.
 
These days there are awards for almost everything. Customer service awards, local business awards, industry awards - you name, there is an award for it. Some awards are unbelievably difficult to get because they are highly contested and judge to an astonishingly high standard. However there are plenty of awards which not many people enter. A friend of mine recently went on stage to be given a runners-up award in an environmental category for regional business awards. He came second but out of an area covering almost 1,000,000 people, guess how many companies entered this category? Two. He came second and received a certificate and a prize. But he was still invited to a presentation dinner and photographed being given the award in front of a crowd of some 300 people.
 
Many people imagine that entering awards takes up too much time. In fact, many awards are designed to be relatively simple to enter. You will also find that judges will often ask for similar types of information. That means entering two awards will not take twice the time to enter just one. And entering for the same award the following year will often take not much time at all because the previous year’s homework is still valid.
 
A lot of people don't enter awards because they don't like the thought of not winning. The truth is if you are not shortlisted, nobody will know that you even entered. And if on the night you don't win the award, your company will be named within the top three companies in that area shortlisted for the prize. You might not win, but it shows clearly that you're one of the top companies in the industry or area by simply being nominated and getting to the final few in your chosen categories. There is no shame in being a finalist for the award and not winning.
 
To find out about awards you can enter for, a simple trawl of the internet will give you plenty to work on.  It may surprise you just how many different business awards that are. Take some time to look around and you will discover awards for everything from people development to the environment and beyond. If you are not an award-winning company now you certainly can be in the next 12 months if you focus your mind on the task.
 
Alastair Campbell is MD of The Ideal Marketing Company and author of The Marketing Launchpad available from Amazon.  He is offering a free 1 hour marketing consultation to all readers of this newsletter. Visit www.idealmarketingcompany.com for details or call 01858 445543.

 

'New! Five Day 'Train The Trainer' Masterclass

Become the very best Trainer, Coach and Facilitator you can be
 
In the same way that training isn’t simply about being able to present to an audience and keep them interested, coaching isn’t about just sitting next to someone at their desk and prompting them with words of encouragement. Nor is facilitating a learning session only about keeping it going smoothly and on time. Yet that’s what the majority of people are happy to achieve. Do you want to take it to the next level? Do you want to be at the very top of your game? Do you want to become the very best trainer, coach & facilitator you can be? “Yes?”
 
On June 25th-29th 2012, Warren Kemp and his handpicked team of professionals including a Voice Coach, a Master Practitioner of NLP and a film crew will be taking you on a journey. For 5 days in a London venue chosen for its creativity-inducing ambiance, you have the chance to test yourself to the limit. You can be one of only 6 individuals taking this Masterclassto help you consistently achieve heights you have so far only touched fleetingly, if at all. Let our world class team of professionals work with you, to help shape and guide you, to truly raise your personal bar to the height you want to take it to.
 
Who should attend?
If you are: currently an internal or external trainer and/or coach and want to get more out of your sessions, get more tangible results and want to help take your trainees further, quicker.
If you are: seriously considering becoming an internal or external trainer or coach but have limited (or no) experience.
If you have: some responsibility for the training and coaching function within your company but have had no real guidance on how to write and deliver courses or facilitate learning.
If you are: a business owner/director and want to impart your knowledge and experience for your staff to learn from more effectively than they are currently.
 
If you answered yes to one or some of the above then this event is for you. If, in addition, you are genuinely passionate about training and are committed to testing yourself over 5 full-on days in a collegiate, creative yet professionally demanding arena, this one is for you.
 
What will the Masterclass cover?
The days will be structured to gain the best from and for the attendees which will include group sessions, individual exercises and one on one coaching. Help and guidance from the training & coaching team will be tailored to your individual level of experience/skill as well as situational conversations and sessions where everyone will share information. NOTE. You will need to bring a laptop with you to help compose content for one or two of the projects.
 
Subject matter (non-exhaustive) will include:
How to structure, deliver and assess a group training session
Understanding your and your audience’s objectives
Creating the best environment
Developing and writing training courses
How to work one to one with individuals in a coaching capacity
Maintaining personal momentum & confidence
Gaining individual (and group) trust and engagement
The best use of PowerPoint, flipcharts and other aids
How to deal with a mixed ability audience
Dealing with time and other limiting constraints
Insider tips, tricks and tips
Building a portfolio of material
Consistency and continuity of message
How to handle difficult people
Image – you, your voice, your body language and more
Creating the right setting
Training and coaching as a process
Managing expectations
True coaching conversations
How to facilitate small and large group-led sessions
The use of language, pace and tone
Objectively measuring results
Having safety nets in place
Challenging people positively to achieve more
Handling the “what ifs …”
Learning the magic that separates the truly great from the rest
 
The Trainer:
Warren Kemp is one of the most sought after specialist trainers and management consultants around today. His clients span small independent start-ups to some of the major names in the recruitment industry and to date have come from 23 different countries worldwide. For more information on Warren, visit Meet The Team .
 
Dates
June 25th to 29th – London

Investment:
£3495+VAT per delegate. 10% deposit required to secure your place, please. Balance of payment to be received no later than one week prior to the course start date.

In order to optimise your learning experience, this course is purposely run with small delegate numbers and is capped at 6.

 

How to Spot You're a Recruitment Bore

Contributor: Robert Wright, Executive Search Consultant, NRG
 
Had a recent coffee with a mate and in turn we despaired, chuckled and grimaced when recalling recruiters we knew, worked with or had met over the years. So, as a bit of a fun posting, here's my guide to spotting if you're a Recruiment Bore.
 
You're a RB if:
1.      You can't stop interviewing whoever you meet. Whether it's the taxi driver, the barber, someone at a party, another parent at parents' evening who find yourself judging if they're employable talent. I once knew a RB who I'm told even interviewed a lap dancer prior to his dance. Please please just refrain from asking at every opportunity for a short career snapshot and where your victim sees themselves in five years' time.
2.      All your friends are Recruiters. I'm all up for making friends through work but quite frankly most are work colleagues I get on with. Only some but not many are real friends. Real friends are people you hang-out with when not at work and only fleetingly ask how work's going as warm-up, small talk stuff whilst the wine is opened or BBQ lit. If you're discussing your placement pipeline whilst in the pub you need to get a wider social circle.
3.      You can't switch off. I have an Iphone and don't have a problem checking emails on holiday or dealing with urgent issues in the evening or at the weekend. It's kind of the world we live in now for many if not most professions. However, I do also own a much better interactive app called LIFE and whilst not at work I really like to live it as much as possible. If that sounds odd to you then you're a RB.
4.      You work a party or social event like it's a conference. You know sometimes it's OK not to greet everyone with a firm handshake and elevator pitch. You really don't have to leave them with a clear and positive impression of what you do, how you add value and where you can be contacted. Sometimes it's just much more fun spending a party getting drunk in the kitchen or being the first person on the dance floor after the bride and groom.
5.      You read nothing but business books and in particular bad recruitment business books. Did ever any good come out of a business book? Really? Or do they just give you soundbites and maxims to inflict on others whilst reinforcing your own beliefs and life patterns? Try a novel. It might just make you a more interesting person.
6.      When asked the old chestnut "Who would be at your dream dinner party?" they're all multimillionaire business men or sporting heroes who know how to WIN and their formulas (in your opinion) are directly transferable to the recruitment industry. GO TEAM! Pass me the electric meat carver please as I'm about to perform seppuku whilst Richard Branson, Arnold Palmer and Clive Woodward look on.
7.      Every tweet and status update on your social networks is a job posting. Yawn. Who cares? Not me. Guess what? Social media is social and not didactic. The clue's in the name. Yes it's a useful place to meet people, attract candidates and find clients but only by being a human and not a RB.
 
And here's the twist.... I know all about the above signs and symptoms as I'm a recovering Recruitment Bore who has displayed all the above at some time or another during my 14 year recruitment career. But as Ian Dury once said "I want to be straight" so I've managed to wean myself off thanks to the support network of wife, kids, family and mates who just don't take me (too) seriously - thank God. Thankfully I can now act supercilious and snigger into my coat sleeve when I meet tan-shoed, fudged-haired Mr Recruitment, or panel-dressed, killer-heeled Miss Recruiter and notice that they are a bore.

 

Recruiters' Guide To Researchers

Contributor: David Steel, Research Director at Exacta Research
 
The ‘Current Climate’ Recruitment Myth
I was with a client last week in London and we were discussing the general state of the recruitment industry in these uncertain times. He remarked that one of his clients, a highly rated and experienced HR Manager, had recently said to him during a pitch: “I don’t know if I need to engage you on this one, to be honest. We’ll probably put something online and run a campaign on LinkedIn. We’ll be inundated with responses and fill the job that way.”
 
There is no denying that the growth of online recruitment advertising and LinkedIn has changed the way businesses (and recruiters) can attract candidates. Even during my time in the recruitment industry, which is quickly approaching ten years, there has been a big shift from paper advertising to online advertising; I guess it’s easier, quicker, cheaper and can reach far wider in terms of candidate catchment, so it has obvious attractions. The days of ‘chasing the ads’ for both recruiters and researchers probably haven’t gone away, they’ve just changed from turning pages to mouse clicks.
 
That’s all well and good – I’m sure my client’s client will be inundated with responses; I heard a BBC commentator only this morning remark that there are at least twenty people for every one vacancy in Northern England, for example. But despite the fact that candidates are everywhere you look just now, what happens if your huge pile of CVs is one big disappointment? As we know only too well in our industry, quantity has never been a guarantee of quality; indeed, it’s often a guarantee of the opposite!
 
Despite the fact that it’s probably as easy as it’s ever been to invite people to apply for a role, I don’t believe for one moment that it’s allowing most businesses to recruit key people simply by running an online recruitment campaign themselves. As with newspaper advertising, online advertising won’t attract what we term as ‘passive candidates’, those that aren’t looking and who are often the most interesting to employers. Another issue with simply running an advert online is where do you put it? There are hundreds of job boards out there full of opportunities and not every available candidate will look at them all. In some respects, online advertising has diluted that part of the market as there were never that many newspapers or magazines to run an advert in, so if you placed an advert in the FT for a Head of Finance role, say, you had a good chance of decent coverage. Does the same outlet exist online?
 
My client and I agreed on the same conclusion. Advertising will always have its place, regardless of the media. However, just because the market is flooded with people looking for new roles just now don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s making recruitment ‘easier’ or that businesses don’t need you (and you in turn don’t need researchers!).
 
If anything, finding the high calibre candidates you need to fill roles is no easier now than it was before the economic crisis – in some respects it’s harder as most organisations are clinging on to their star performers for dear life and in turn those employees can often adopt a ‘better the devil you know’ stance, so won’t be looking.
 
I have a funny feeling that my client will be receiving a call in the next couple of weeks from a client asking him to get her out of a ‘recruitment hole’. I hope, in turn, that our phone rings as a result!
 
David Steel is Research Director at Exacta Research, a recruitment research company who provide a candidate research service to help clients find the best possible candidates across all sectors and levels. For further information email david@exactaresearch.co.uk, visit www.exactaresearch.co.uk or call 08000 856 618.

 

Getting the best from your team

It’s not easy developing people.   It’s even more difficult if you have to run a desk yourself as well or have other key tasks other than simply managing a team. So what can you do?  The first place to start is put yourself in their shoes . What would they want from you? The five stages or pointers in this process are as follows:
 
  1. Let me know what is expected of me
  2. Give me an opportunity to perform
  3. Let me know how I am getting on
  4. Give me guidance when I need it
  5. Recognise and reward my contribution
 
Now let us look at each point in turn and the methods available to help the manager in that process.
 
  1. Let me know what is expected of me deals with clarifying objectives and priorities, agreeing performance standards and, if applicable, detailing performance improvement plans.
  2. Give me an opportunity to perform covers things such as organisational planning, defining authority levels and the resources available.
  3. Let me know how I am getting on. The manager should in this process provide information on the progress made, ongoing informal reviews and, of course, formal performance reviews. Also, he should supply company and team information that backs up the observations made.
  4. Give me guidance when I need it entails coaching, counselling and training. Remember though, when coaching, avoid giving opinions, offering assistance and sympathising as these are not part of effective coaching.
  5. Recognising and rewarding contribution. We should complete a review of individual potential; we should detail succession planning; of course, we should have a salary structure defined and we should have development plans in place. We should always give positive reinforcement and pats on the back where applicable and always say ‘thanks’ when appropriate.
Whatever the occasion or the environment, only a consistency of style and openness will promote development and encourage discussion. Too often, the opportunities to give and receive feedback are lost through poor preparation, lack of consideration and an uncertainty about the desired result. Clarity and consistency of thought and purpose are essential to develop an atmosphere of respect and willingness to listen and learn. Use the five stages in this model to open up all of your personnel feedback sessions and to enable your teams’ viewpoints to be identified and noted.

This article was provided by Warren Kemp, MD & lead trainer of Recruitment Matters International - follow Warren on Twitter http://twitter.com/warrenbkemp. For more information, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com or email info@recruitmentmatters.com .



An Offer You Can't Refuse: Leadership Lessons From "The Godfather"

Contributor: Lydia Dishman, Fast Company www.fastcompany.com  
 
What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather? According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty. 
 
Moore is a serial entrepreneur, early-stage advisor, and angel investor. He’s currently at the helm of Axcient, a company he founded that provides backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery services to the small and mid-sized business (SMB) market. Right now, Axcient is protecting more than 2 billion files and applications for businesses across North America.
 
Moore also happens to think that The Godfather is “one of the best movies ever made” and had a chance to watch it again when the film was aired extensively last week to mark the 40th anniversary of its premiere. Though a decade had passed since the last time Moore watched it, his recent viewing offered an unexpected reward. This time he found the film rife with teaching moments for CEOs running a business today.
 
“I certainly don’t endorse crime or violence, and I’m not suggesting business should operate like the Mafia,” explains Moore, “but there are some universal themes in the movie I can relate to as a CEO.” Moore says The Godfathe roffers valuable lessons in community and team building, making tough decisions, and playing to win while not neglecting friends and family.
 
Here are five essential leadership lessons Moore distilled from The Godfather.
 
1. Build a powerful community. 
Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. ~Vito Corleone
Uttered in the iconic rasp of Marlon Brando, the words of Vito Corleone illustrate how he creates a loyal community among those he has helped. Moore says, “By granting these favors and helping people with their problems, Vito Corleone is building a network of influence--relationships that may or may not deliver a specific or quantifiable return, but all which serve to strengthen his power base and which have the potential to be reciprocal in the long run.”
Moore says building strategic partnerships enables companies to work through challenging markets and fast-track overall success. “As a CEO, I see it as part of my job to be a super connector, networking with the technology and investment community without an expectation of reciprocation. Partnerships forged through time, trust, and mutual benefit -- such as those Axcient has built with HP, Ingram-Micro, and a vast network of service providers and resellers - are the types of community relationships that bring about the greatest returns.”
 
2. Hold people accountable. 
What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft. ~Vito Corleone
The Godfather reminds us of the importance of being tough when necessary. “As soon as Vito Corleone allowed a few moments of weakness to be seen by his enemy, they attempted to assassinate him. And it was largely because of failures of his team,” Moore observes.
“In business, accountability isn’t achieved by a murderous rampage. But the lesson is this -- to be successful in business you have to be tough, and you have to be extremely focused on hitting goals and getting results," says Moore. That doesn’t mean patience and understanding don’t have a place, he says, but ongoing tolerance of low-performing people or products just eats away at the success of the entire company. “You are ultimately responsible for all of your employees and shareholders, and that requires tough and swift decisions.
 
3. Don’t get emotional. 
It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business. ~Michael Corleone
“Many people don’t like to talk about the fact that in business, there are winners and losers. When Sonny Corleone reacts impulsively and emotionally, he gets taken out. In business, if you don’t take the opportunity to out-sell, out-bid, or out-market your competitor, they’ll take you out. I’m not suggesting doing anything outside the boundaries of morality or rightness--simply pointing out that when people make emotional decisions, they start making bad decisions. To lead successfully, you have to take your emotion and ego out of the equation.”
Likewise, Moore says it’s important to play to win. In business, that translates to knowing the competition and always staying at least one step ahead. “Operate your business with integrity and have respect for competition, but you also need to seize opportunities to eliminate your competition and win.”
 
4. Be decisive. 
Moore says that he, like most people who appreciate The Godfather, watch the movie with a combination of shock and respect. “Shock because he is so ruthless that he kills his own family member, but respect for the fact that Don Corleone knows exactly what he wants, executes decisively, and commands respect through unwavering leadership.”
While you don’t have to kill anyone to prove a point, as soon as you know what choice to make, move forward. “Know who on your team is making the right choices, and trust them to take decisive action as well. Hesitation too often leads to missed opportunities.”
 
5. Spend time with your family. 
Do you spend time with your family? Because a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. ~Vito Corleone 
Moore isn’t endorsing 1940s machismo, but he is decrying 100-hour workweeks that many entrepreneurs fall prey to in hot pursuit of the next big thing. Though he’s been dedicated like that in the past, Moore finds it’s not sustainable in the long run. 
“A leader can’t be successful in creative problem-solving and making excellent decisions unless that person is connected to people and passions outside of work. I find that it’s often time with family and friends that gives me the perspective I need to build the relationships and make the decisive actions required for continued success in business,” says Moore.

 

UK labour market 'in the right direction', says Reed

The latest job index from recruiter Reed shows the number of online job postings rose by 9% in Q1 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

This follows the news  that the number of new roles in the UK showed a slight month-on-month decline in February.
 
The ‘Reed Job Index’ shows particular growth in the construction, engineering, IT, motoring and purchasing sectors, and growth present in every region of the UK apart from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Martin Warnes, Managing Director of reed.co.uk, says: “The latest ‘Reed Job Index’ shows that job creation has been strong during the first three months of the year.

“But we mustn’t forget that, for a lot of people, finding work continues to be a real struggle, while the cost to business of employing staff remains a barrier to recruitment. The budget may have been seen as friendly to business, but the taxation burden of actually employing staff remains high which needs to be addressed by policy makers to assist continued job growth and a sustained job-led recovery.”

 

'Porcupine' questions

If you can imagine being thrown a porcupine there are three things you can do.

1. Catch it and let the beast dig its spikes in.
2. Jump out of the way and then wonder what damage has been done.
3. Throw it right back at the sender.

It’s the same with ‘porcupine’ questions...........

’Porcupines’ are unannounced questions that give no indication as to how the questioner feels. E.g. “How quickly can you supply a candidate to us?”

Option One.
Typical answer. "Well, if we've got all the information on the assignment and you've signed our terms of business, then two to three weeks would be the norm."
Does the client want you to act quicker? Do they think two weeks is impressive or do they think that a quality candidate would take far longer to find? Are they looking at your fee versus time spent and think that you are cheap or expensive, etc.?

Do you take Option Two?
"Well, we can cover that later. As I was saying,...” Wrong!

Option Three.
 "How important is the time scale to you, John?" allows the client to tell you and you can then act accordingly. If, for example, it’s "Well, we need to move fast on this…" then an appropriate response would be "Good. Then let's get some details down. I'll fax over a copy of our terms of business and then we'll get cracking on it today."

If, on the other hand, it’s "I'd rather it took three months to get the right person than you just throwing a couple of candidates at me like some agencies do...” then an appropriate response would be "I couldn't agree more, John. As I said earlier, as head-hunters, we are not an agency. The select one or two candidates that we do present to you will have been thoroughly screened and .."

By doing some background checks and opening up the questioning first in conversations, you will pre-empt most potential pitfalls. However, if you're sent a porcupine and you are not sure how to handle it, throw it back quickly!

Warren Kemp is MD 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/ +44 (0)1945 461561 or email warren@recruitmentmatters.com. Follow Warren on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WarrenBKemp


 

Google Plus for business

Contributer: Francesca James, Social Media Manager At Fresh Business Thinking

Google's online social networking service "Google Plus" has recently reached the 90 million user mark since it’s unveiling in June last year. Google+ , often shortened to G+ is a social networking  and identity service, operated by Google.
 
The Google+ blog says that ‘among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day'. Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools.

Google say that the current way of ‘online sharing is awkward, even broken.’ They go on to say that in an effort to bring ‘the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software’, the Google+ project began.

Originally, Google+ was exclusively for humans and businesses didn’t get a look in. Despite the ban on businesses, many tried and created profile for organizations through personal accounts although these were often short-lived and closed down by Google. Google did however promise that formal business pages would come – and that they’d be worth waiting for. And in November they came.

Who can set up a page?

The signup process for Google+ Pages is split into five categories: Local Business or Place; Product or Brand; Company, Institution or Organisation; Arts, Entertainment or Sports; and Other.

The categories are, as I’m sure you’ll agree, broad enough to house pretty much any business type imaginable therefore it seems any business can at least attempt to harness the potential of the search giant’s latest offering.

Is it worth the effort?

I love social media, but even I felt a bit overwhelmed when another social network was added to the ever growing portfolio of networks that businesses ‘should’ be on, so I needed a little persuasion.

In a quest to find some, I visited the Google+ your business page. Google say that ‘creating a page brings you closer to your customers, fans and followers’ and that the network allows you to:

- Start real face-to-face conversations with Hangouts

- Create circles to share the right message with the right people.

- Help people recommend you on Google Search and ads with the +1 button

Not being a page owner myself…yet, my opinion was staunchly on the fence so I took to Twitter (my current network of choice), @Alexandramarr was the first to get back to me; she said that her business has a Google + business page although she’s perhaps not as active on it as she should be. One of the reasons she gives for this is because only one person can access it.

This is because G+ business pages are bound to one personal G+ account only. Therefore, before you get too click happy and set one up, it’s vital to consider who will own the business page. Once created, there is no leeway (at least at the moment) to transfer or share ownership.

Alexandra also said that a reason for her lack of activity on the network is due to the fact that you can't send updates from Tweetdeck, which supports what I would call the other ‘big 3’ — Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

I agree that for the time-hungry, the option for one post to perform multiple duties is appealing although from my limited experience of G+, I can see that it is different and perhaps should be kept that way. Its introduction to a multi-posting application like Tweetdeck would probably mean that it would start to churn out the same cloned information that is already clogging up our Twitter and Facebook feeds. Personally, if I visit a brand or company page in a different (albeit virtual) location, I want to see something different.

It’s not all bad though, I received some great comments about G+ pages — namely the fact that, as Malcolm Graham told me ‘It’s important for getting traffic to your site'. Online shopping site @shopstyleUK also tweeted me to let me know that they use it because ‘It's good for SEO’ (Search Engine Optimisation).

@LynseySweales from Norfolk based SocialB says that although G+  is still very new, ‘it’s obvious due to it being Google’s own social media network that it will have and is already having an impact in the SEO world.’

So what can you do as a business to make sure you don’t miss out on this SEO opportunity? Lynsy says that a business should ‘complete the ‘About Us’ section — and think about keywords, trying to link them to your website, blog, other social media platforms and then start to promote your Google+ page on your website and your other social media accounts. By promoting the page you will get more people adding your page to their ‘circle’

Becky Yardley, SEO Marketer for Appliances Online added that ‘businesses that create fresh, unique content that people will share on Google + will see an increase their ranking within search results because Google takes into account the level of engagement with your site through how many people have 1+ a piece of your content (similar to a Facebook Like)'.

So other than acting as a SEO power pill, what are the other benefits? As I said, I’m not professing to be a Google+ expert, so feel free to challenge me on these, but from what I see, here are some more reasons why G+ is here to stay:

- As I mentioned earlier, the audience is already huge, 90 million and growing — how many of those could be potential fans or customers?

- The circles function is a great way to target specific groups of people. You can post updates that will only be seen by certain smaller audiences, for example a special promotion that you want to keep exclusive.

- It’s Google - it looks great. It’s simple and clean and user friendly.

I think it’s clear, even from this introduction that Google+ has the potential to change the game. I also think that, knowing Google, the G+ project will evolve and in time it will become a vital component of any marketing plan.

Google+ probably isn’t for everyone, it may not be for your business but you’ll never know if you don’t try. Businesses who embrace new ways of communicating and engaging with their network are much more likely to find right platforms for them.

Ready to get your business set up on Google+ Pages? Head to the Google+ registration page to get started.


Recruitment Matters news

Well, it’s already after Easter – where did that first quarter of 2012 go?
 
Whether you’re looking for training in headhunting, interview techniques, business development, social media or marketing we’ve got something for you. And don’t forget our two day induction for your new recruits.
 
Feedback on the first of our new courses, Candidate and Client Control has been excellent, and we’re very excited about the June launch of Warren’s Five Day ‘Train The Trainer’ Masterclass
 
Thank you to all of you have already attended our ‘New Year kick-start’ via ‘Recruiting In A Tough Market 2012’ which finished as an open course in March but is still being run for several clients on an in-house basis.
 
If there are any other courses that you feel we should be offering or places we should be visiting, please email ken@recruitmentmatters.com .
 
Our in-house training activities continue to be many & varied, and it’s something that we enjoy doing as it gives us the opportunity to develop a greater involvement with our clients. In fact we’re right in the middle of a very interesting project at the moment, developing an online training programme for an international client.  Ideally, do plan a good couple of months ahead if you can. We’ll always do our best to accommodate your requirements and don’t like to disappoint if we can possibly avoid it.
 
In order to optimise your learning experience, most of our courses are purposely run with small delegate numbers and are generally capped at 12 (just 6 for our ‘Tratin The Trainer’ Masterclass). Book now to avoid disappointment! See our latest April – July 2012 training dates below.
 
We hope that you enjoyed Warren’s new tips for this month – you will find many more on our free tips page which is regularly updated.
 
Finally, remember, if you can’t come to us, we can come to you to deliver an in-house version of any of our courses to meet your specific objectives. Contact ken@recruitmentmatters.com for more information or call 0800 0749289 or, if you’re overseas, 0044 1529 410586.

 

RECRUITMENT MATTERS INTERNATIONAL: April - July 2012 Open Training Schedule

Attending an open course is not only a highly cost effective way of learning, it also gives you a chance to interact with your peers from other organisations, taking on board their viewpoints and experiences.

In order to optimise your learning experience, most of our courses are purposely run with small delegate numbers and are generally capped at 12. Book now to avoid disappointment!

NOTE: All our courses come with a 100% money back guarantee if not fully satisfied. If an individual books for a 'refresher' session on a previously attended one day course, then the cost is just £85+VAT.

 

SUCCESSFUL HEAD-HUNTING (one day)
Europe's No 1 course on executive search.
May 11th - London
May 16th - Manchester
Jun 7th - Birmingham
Jun 15th - London
Jul 18th - Bristol
Jul 19th - London
Jul 24th - Manchester 

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT
Link


SELLING EXECUTIVE SEARCH & WINNING RETAINED AND EXCLUSIVE ASSIGNMENTS (half day).
Being able to headhunt is one thing - knowing how to sell it to the client is quite another.
Apr 27th - London
May 25th - Birmingham
May 31st - London
Jun 21st - Manchester
Jul 10th - London
Jul 27th - Birmingham

Running time 2:00 - 5:30pm.
Investment £199+VAT
Link


RESEARCH TECHNIQUES & METHODOLOGY FOR RECRUITERS (half day)
"It's not the client who pays your fee. He only writes the cheque. It's the candidate who pays your fee"
Apr 27th - London
May 25th - Birmingham
May 31st - London
 Jun 21st - Manchester
Jul 10th - London
Jul 27th - Birmingham

Running time 9:30am - 1:00pm.
Investment £179+VAT
Link


CANDIDATE AND CLIENT CONTROL (one day)
Fill more vacancies with buy-in and belief from everyone involved
Apr 23rd - Manchester
May 1st - London
May 14th - Birmingham
Jun 8th - London
Jun 18th - Bristol
Jun 27th - Manchester
Jul 12th - London
Jul 13th - Birmingham

Investment £299 + VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT

Link


TWO DAY INTRODUCTION TO RECRUITMENT (two days)
'Induction for new recruits'. Get your new hires off to a confident winning start
Apr 24/25th - Manchester
May 9/10th - London
May 28/29th - Birmingham
Jun 14/15th - Manchester
Jun 19/20th - London
Jul 2/3rd - Birmingham
Jul 17/18th - London        

Investment £495+VAT
Link


CANDIDATE INTERVIEW & SCREENING TECHNIQUES (one day)
Learn how to screen potential candidates from a long list & then interview both face to face and over the telephone. Significantly improve your candidate to placement ratio!
Apr 18th - London
May 2nd - Manchester
May 24th - London
Jun 13th - Birmingham
Jul 4th - London
Jul 5th - Manchester

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT
Link


BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT SKILLS (one day)
"Maximising on existing relationships & How to open up new profitable accounts"
Apr 26th - London
May 15th - Manchester
May 30th - London
Jun 12th - Birmingham
Jul 11th - London
Jul 25th - Manchester

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT

Link


INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT (one day)
Getting the best from your team while still running a desk
Apr 24th - London
May 10th - Manchester
Jul 5th - London

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT
Link


MAXIMISING THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE NETWORKING (one day)
Build a candidate & client base using social media learning best practice for LinkedIn, Twitter and a variety of other outlets.
Apr 25th - Birmingham
May 2nd - Manchester
May 23rd - London
Jul 3rd - Manchester
Jul 6th - London
Jul 31st - Birmingham

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £259+VAT
Link


MARKETING, BRAND BUILDING & PROMOTING YOUR RECRUITMENT SERVICES (one day)
Straightforward ways to win and retain more recruitment business in 4 hours a week on a limited budget
May 15th - London
Jul 16th - London

Investment £299+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £229+VAT
Link

 

FIVE DAY 'TRAIN THE TRAINER' MASTERCLASS (maximum of 6 delegates)
Become the best Trainer, Coach and Facilitator you can be
Jun 25th to 29th - London

Investment:
£3495+VAT per delegate. 10% deposit required to secure your place, please.
Balance of payment to be received no later than one week prior to the course start date.

Link

 

For more information on these courses and our other services and products, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com, email info@recruitmentmatters.com or call Julie or Ken on 0800 0749289 or, if you're overseas, 0044 1529 410586.

Contact us

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UK

Tel: 0800 0749289/0044 / (0)1529 410586
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