In this month's newsletter...

Welcome to our April newsletter

Best wishes to all from the Recruitment Matters team!

This is our April 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.

Not surprisingly, times seem to be getting even tougher in the city financial sector with up to 40,000 jobs forecast to go in a JP Morgan survey. More on this below. Further evidence of the slowdown comes from a Manpower Outlook report which says that job growth in the finance sector is at a 12-year low and found the majority of firms had cautious hiring plans.

The report goes on: nine percent of employers in the sector are planning to take on more workers, whilst 2% intend to reduce the amount of employees for the April to June period. Although hiring is 1% stronger than the net employment outlook for the UK, which is +6%, the sector is experiencing a 12% point weakening year-on-year.

“The decline in hiring confidence in the City and financial institutions sparks a genuine concern over the impact of the credit crunch. We are seeing a significant slowdown in this sector compared to last year," said Paul Robbins, head of Manpower Professional.

A couple of other articles in particular caught our eye this month and are featured below – one about the powerful benefits of coaching by senior managers, and another on the astonishing growth of online advertising and its growing significance for the recruitment industry.

We are delighted to feature a great telephone tip contributed by Mark Pearce, Associate Director at Bauhaus Consulting. Nice one Mark – thank you. We’ve also got an informative article from David Lyons, MD of eBoss Online Recruitment Solutions who argues the case for external hosting of recruitment database software

We have another fine contribution this month from one of our two ‘Recruiters’ Guide’ experts, networking expert, Will Kintish. Our expert researcher, David Steel, is taking a breather this month but will be back in May. We also have some top tips from Neil Kirby who says that it’s time for a ‘spring clean’ and, of course, 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.

City redundancies forecast

Analysts at JP Morgan are predicting a reduction of more than 40,000 City jobs as a result of the sub-prime crisis and global credit crunch.

The figure doubles its estimate in December, and represents about 6% of the capital's estimated 700,000 financial services industry workers.

Redundancies from Britain's lucrative banking-related sectors will have repercussions for the housing market as well as businesses such as restaurants that rely on bankers' spending power said the analysts.

JP Morgan's new estimate came from its property team, rather than its economists, who said in a note: "We expect a potential 40,000 job losses in the City and minus 16% rental growth."
This forecast came only days after the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicted 19,200 jobs would be lost in the next two years.

Recruiters’ Guide to Networking

Contributor: Will Kintish
Working the room – how to make the right impression (2).
 

This is Will’s fourth article on ‘working the room.’ Next month, he’ll share more of his ideas with you on how to ‘move in then move on.’

8. Small talk is the precursor to big business. Talk about current events, sports and hobbies, families (but be careful here) and, of course, business itself.

9. Ensure you catch up with current world and local news if you know you’re going to a business event. You don’t want to get caught out looking silly and it’s a safe area for conversation, but avoid religion and politics.

10. Ask questions like “How did you get started in business?” “What’s your role in the business?” “How many people do you work with?” “What challenges does your business have?”

11. Meet T.E.D. when you want to know more or don’t understand. Tell me more about….Explain what you mean about…. Describe how that works.

12. Talk in terms of other peoples’ interests. Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about them ourselves. People love talking about themselves - let them - it is the only way you’re going to find out anything and everything about them. We learn nothing from talking, all by listening.

13. Ask open questions. What? Why? When? Who? Which? and How? After questions about their business ask about their advisors or suppliers. Listen and look carefully. The words can be fictitious, the body language can’t!

14. Request to call to find out more, if you spot an opportunity. Otherwise, you have wasted your time.

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.

Senior staff make coaching four times more effective

Rick Woodward, Kimberly Clark’s Learning and Development head, has declared that coaching is four times more effective when reinforced by the team leader’s manager.

Speaking at CIPD’s HRD conference at ExCeL, Woodward employed Peggy Parskey a workplace measurement and evaluation expert who delivered the “astonishing results.”

It was in implementing the use of sports coaches that staff were asked to form pairs and were then entrusted with teaching their partner how to juggle – a skill that they did not have themselves. It was in doing this that coaching, according to Woodward, took the form of asking and not telling.

Still unsure whether this coaching was touching the business, they turned to workplace measurement and evaluation. Parskey was tasked with questioning the attendees and found that while only 4% reported an increase in productivity, when mentored, 25% reported of an improvement.

The true extent of the positive impact upon the business was revealed when Parskey noted a 35% improvement in productivity as well as 31% growth in retention of employees with 10% attributing these to the coaching that they had received.

Woodward told delegates, “Coaching does have a measurable business impact. I can stand in front of you and say I’ve got the hard data to confirm it. This is a journey and it takes time and commitment.

“Coaching is four times more effective when it’s reinforced by senior leaders. I think coaching is one of the key links to employee engagement, one of the key links to happier organisations, more effective organisations and more productive organisations. I’ve every reason to think that the work we did at Kimberly Clark you could replicate at any of your organisations.”

NOTE. If Rick Woodward’s comments have hit your spot and you would like some help along the way, spending a half day on our ‘Managing Teams And Mentoring People’ course could be a great way to start. For more information click here.

‘Double bubble’ telephone tip

Contributor: Mark Pearce, Bauhaus Consultants
Further to your last editorial commenting on sharing tips for future editorials, I thought it may be beneficial to share a tip with you that has been working very well for me over the last few months. It may not work for everybody as I work in a trades/niche market, but my success for getting hold of important DM's (Decision Makers) has vastly improved since I started using this technique.

Simply put - my colleagues had been struggling to reach key DM's and were becoming frustrated with it. I decided that if this happened again, I would leave a message with the DM's secretary. The message I left with the secretary was short and simple and it advised that my call was important and could he/she call me back on my mobile.

Invariably the DM would call back on my mobile. My success has been greater just by leaving a mobile number instead of an office number and I now receive calls back from 3 out of 4 people. Not only is this positive, but I am also able to record their mobile numbers from their calls to call again in the future. ‘Double bubble’ as my boss puts it.

Mark Pearce is Associate Director at Bauhaus Consultants who are specialist recruiters to the Telecommunications, Data-Networking and Structured Cabling Infrastructure sectors. To contact Mark, call 0161 923 9050 or email mark.pearce@bauhausconsultants.com.

Self esteem

It’s easy in a tough market to let things get to you. The economy is currently showing all the signs of hitting a tough patch. How are you going to cope? How strong is your self esteem?
Now self esteem, as opposed to ego, is very difficult to get back once it is lost. It is a measure of how you value yourself and it is built up from the day you are born. Conversely, it is usually destroyed by damaged experiences or relationships. It is one of the most helpful qualities that you or your staff can possess and it stems from the belief that you are worthy to succeed. A healthy self esteem might just see you through tough times.

Often people try to camouflage their low self esteem by displaying excessive confidence. This is just a distraction used to mask their heartfelt deep feeling of inadequacy and vulnerability. Do not be fooled or intimidated by it. Recognise it for what it is, it is just a human solution to intolerable emotional discomfort.

There is no substitute for knowing yourself and knowing where you are likely to succeed. A series of successes will lead you to a healthy level of self esteem so plan for them yourself and help others to plan for them also.

Here are some thoughts for you to consider when trying to raise the level of your own level of self esteem and trying to help others to raise their own self esteem:

• Let go of feeling responsible for those around you; take responsibility for yourself and your choices and feelings
• Never take yourself too seriously; once you lose your sense of humour you have lost control
• Have realistic expectations of yourself but never sell yourself short
• Know yourself; what prevents you from doing something and what makes you good at other things?
• Nurture yourself; give yourself treats, look after yourself, reward yourself, it is so important

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.

Online advertising

Recruitment has seen the biggest growth in online advertising, as the web becomes the third largest advertising medium. Industry advertising grew by 5.3 share points in 2007, according to an assessment by PricewaterhouseCoopers, a growth of 38%.

The online advertising market is growing by £417.1m year-on-year, rising form the smallest advertising sector in 2003 to the third largest in 2007 at a new high of £2.8bn. The increase breaks down into a 33% growth in display advertising, 44% in search and 72% in classified.

Bogged down? Need a Spring Clean?

As a kid, around this time of year my mother used to go through the house, giving everything a thorough Spring clean, freshening things up for another year. It's come back to my mind because I have had conversations with a number of people who've become bogged down - by the amount of work they have to do, the volume of paperwork sitting around their office or home. The more and more it builds up, the more we think about it. The more we think about it, we can become stuck - thinking about what to do rather than actually doing something about it. This can lead to inaction and become very draining.

This is a dilemma I can readily relate to, in a day and age where things are so immediate and everyone wants things done yesterday. So where do we start?

Firstly, whilst it's tempting to blame our misfortune on others or put it down to pure bad luck (have you heard some football managers recently?), decide that "I've created the situation so I can do something about it". Take the bull by the horns if you like.

Then we need a plan - giving some structure to our thoughts. So start by writing down all the things you have to do - and I mean everything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Gather together anything that is linked, part of the same project or dependant on each other.

Consider each item in turn (with your partner if it affects them too) - how important is each one? What's the timescale? Do you have to do it?

This will start to give you some sense of priority.

Next, put these into your diary. Remember to leave yourself some free time (to do other things that may crop up and to have time to think). Do you actually have time to do them all? If not, then something has to move - what can be done by other people, what can be delayed?

The result is you have the beginnings of a plan. The work's not yet done, but at least you know how and when you're going to do it, so you don't have to think about it all the time.

I've listed these steps on a free help sheet called "Clearing the clutter". This is a simple checklist so that you can carry out your own Spring clean. These will be available on my website once it's finalised and for now please contact me if you'd like a copy.

If you have any questions or comments on this article or issues you face, please contact me (in confidence) on 01707 395850 or email me at neil@neilkirby.co.uk. There’s no obligation. Neil Kirby is a life coach and a leading practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Recruitment Database Software - Hosted v A Corner in your Office

I am often asked whether a recruitment database is best hosted online, or on a local server in the office. Most people believe that the server in their office is the safest bet, and although they can’t always access it from outside the office, at least they can keep an eye on it when they are in work.... It’s worth examining the pros and cons.

• Security: Data centres are like fortresses with state of the art security; even data centre staff can’t move between areas without an iris or fingerprint scan. Plus your web browser access to your data is encrypted with secure certificates. How secure is your office?
• Safety: Industry standard data centres keep your data safe with smoke detectors, uninterrupted power supplies, biometrics, generators and much more.
• Maintenance: How much does it cost to get someone out to your office to fix the server when it breaks? A hosted solution is monitored 24/7 by trained engineers. With hosted, you can be sure you’re going to be on servers using the latest technologies.
• Peace of Mind: Hosted solutions usually offer a Service Level Agreement; industry standard SLA's should offer a full replacement in 60 minutes as well as compensation for any downtime, a lot quicker than waiting for someone to visit your office.
• Back-ups: Hosted solutions can offer taped back-ups offsite, so in the event of a disaster your data is safe – very handy if your office server were to go up in a puff of smoke.
• Convenience: Your website is already hosted - hosting your database also allows you to integrate the two, cutting out hours of duplication and effectively increasing your opening hours to 24/7.
• Cost: With a hosted option you don’t need an expensive office network; you can run your company on the most basic specification of computers - as long as they have an internet browser, you’re in business! Also you don’t need to pay for expensive IT support; everything is done at Data Centre level, and you save on electricity. As a further contribution to helping the environment, our hosting partners, for example, plant trees for every server deployed.

These are just a few of the many good reasons to host your database online, Of course, my answer is that hosted is always best. In fact, it’s the only way to ensure the safety and security of your data, and of course peace of mind.

David Lyons is Managing Director of eBoss Online Recruitment Solutions. email david@eboss.co.uk or call 0845 355 0565.

Presentation Skills

Whenever we deliver a presentation (whether to a client or internally to colleagues) we should always view it as our responsibility to put on a performance - to flatly convey words and visuals is, at best, boring and, at worst, insulting. Everyone gets a buzz out of listening to a well structured, well delivered, impactful presentation. Delivering such a presentation adds stature and credibility to any speaker. The trick is to follow a simple process, a process that will ensure that you attend to all the details, hold the audience’s attention and get your message across without losing any meaning in the process. The process that I use is to remember that I am trying to create an impact. Let me explain:

I – Identify your goals
M – Manage your stress
P – Put on a Performance
A – Consider the Audience
C – Keep Control
T – Timing

Let us look briefly at each stage.

Identify your goals – What are you hoping to achieve from your presentation? Are you merely relaying information or are you attempting to gain commitment to a new plan or strategy? Clearly, the actual content of your message will determine the style that you choice to adopt. Consider what questions they are likely to ask you and include those subjects in your script.

Manage your stress – There are many publicised ways to relax and stay calm but as far as I am concerned relaxation comes from the knowledge that you know your subject and from the fact that you have prepared everything down to the smallest detail. You have all your sales aids prepared, the script is finely tuned and you know what you are trying to achieve. So relax and enjoy it.

Put on a performance – You owe it to yourself and your audience to put on a good show so do not disappoint anyone. Hit them with a compelling opening, a statement of intent and content, develop all aspects fully and round off with a simple summary that leaves no one in any doubt as to where you stand, what your opinion is or what you expect. Use strong, uncluttered visuals and do avoid clipart; also avoid repetition of keywords or phrases as this will diminish their value.

The audience – Who are they? What do they know? What are they expecting? Can you deliver? They want you to succeed, to motivate them, to persuade them. They are on your side. Consider using some of their words to help you in presenting your message; obtain quotes and testimonies from key members of the audience as this will undoubtedly strengthen your position. Do not hide in the run up to your presentation or during the coffee breaks, get out there and mix it with your audience.

Keep control – Losing your way during a presentation can be soul destroying and can weaken your delivery to the point of no return. Deal with objections and questions in a positive, confident way. If you have carefully considered the questions that they might ask, and include the answers in your presentation, you can avoid interruptions altogether. Do encourage questions and never leave questions to the end as someone who is holding a question until later will not be fully listening.

Timing – How many presentations have you sat through where the pace at the front end was much slower than at the back end? It is vitally important to maintain a constant pace that enables you to cover all that you need to in the time allotted. Sure, people will listen if you overrun but they will be more interested in how long you overrun by than by what you are saying. You will have completed all the hard work in preparing the presentation - do not waste all that work by not keeping to the time allotted.

So, briefly, there you have the structure to keep you on the right tracks and make sure that you deliver a faultless performance every time.

But finally, remember, if you are in any doubt think of News at Ten – tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you have told them. They have used that simple process every night for over thirty years and it really works.

Matt Wilson is a consultant with Recruitment Matters and is offering an expanded 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’re highly encouraged by the early response to the launch of our new half day open course ‘Negotiation Skills For Recruiters’ at a fantastic investment cost of just £99+VAT “No Negotiation!” The first dates are next month in London on May 15th and Birmingham on May 21st. We would be delighted if you would join us.

To recap on a course name change - what was previously titled ‘Winning Retained Assignments’ is now ‘Gaining Client Commitment – Secure More Profitable Vacancies.’ To further encourage your attendance at this excellent half day course, we are promoting it during the summer for £99+VAT (normally £149+VAT) to anyone who attends ‘Successful Head-Hunting’ in 2008. Please check our training schedule for some revised dates

Please see below for information on all our dates and locations through to September 2008

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.

RECRUITMENT MATTERS: May – September 2008 Open Training Schedule

NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR RECRUITERS (half day)
Trainer: MATT WILSON
May 15th – London
May 21st – Birmingham

Investment £99+VAT. "No Negotiation!"
Link

GAINING CLIENT COMMITMENT (half day) (Previously, Winning Retained Assignments)
'Secure More Profitable Vacancies'
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Running Time: 9.30am - 1.00pm
May 28th – Birmingham
Jun 6th – London
Jul 10th – Birmingham
Aug 29th – London
Sep 5th – Birmingham

Investment £149+VAT
'Bring A Friend' £129+VAT

SUMMER SPECIAL!!! £99+VAT if you book on ‘SUCCESSFUL HEAD-HUNTING’ in 2008
Link

RECRUITING IN A TOUGH MARKET (half day)
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
May 23rd – Birmingham
Jun 20th – Manchester
Jul 11th – London
Aug 20th – Birmingham
Sep 19th – Manchester

Investment £99+VAT
Link

BUILDING & RUNNING AN EFFECTIVE SEARCH DESK
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
May 20/21st – London
Sep 23/24th – London 

Investment £595+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £495+VAT
Link

SUCCESSFUL HEAD-HUNTING
Trainer: WARREN KEMP
May 1st – London
May 28th – London
Jun 3rd – Birmingham
Jun 10th – Bristol
Jun 17th – London
Jun 25th – Manchester
Jul 2nd – London
Jul 8th – Edinburgh
Jul 22nd – Birmingham
Jul 29th – London
Aug 8th – Leeds
Aug 19th – London
Sep 2nd – Birmingham
Sep 9th – London
Sep 12th – Bournemouth
Sep 16th – Bristol
Sep 30th – Manchester

Investment £325+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £245+VAT
Link

HEAD-HUNTING FOR RESEARCHERS AND RESOURCERS
Trainer: MATT WILSON
May 8th – Birmingham
Jun 5th – London
Jul 2nd – London
Jul 8th – Manchester
Aug 5th – London
Aug 14th – Birmingham
Sep 2nd – London
Sep 16th – Manchester 

Investment £295+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £225+VAT
Link

TWO DAY INTRODUCTION TO RECRUITMENT
‘Induction for new recruits'
Trainer: MATT WILSON 
May 13/14th – London
Jun 10/11th – Manchester
Jul 22/23rd – London
Aug 6/7th – Birmingham
Sep 3/4th – Manchester
Sep 17/18th – London    

Investment £495+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £425+VAT
Link

INTERVIEW SKILLS FOR RECRUITERS
Trainer: MATT WILSON 
May 20th – Birmingham
May 29th – Manchester
Jul 3rd – London
Jul 29th – Birmingham
Aug 27th – Manchester
Sep 30th – London 

Investment £245+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £195+VAT
Link

WINNING NEW BUSINESS
‘Telephone Skills For Recruiters'
Trainer: MATT WILSON      
May 7th – London
May 22nd – Glasgow
Jun 17th – Manchester
Jul 9th – London
Jul 16th – Birmingham
Aug 28th – London
Sep 11th – Manchester   

Investment £245+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £195+VAT
Link

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR RECRUITERS (half day)
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Aug 13th – London
Aug 20th – Birmingham

Investment £149+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £129+VAT
Link

MANAGING TEAMS AND MENTORING PEOPLE (half day)
Trainer: MATT WILSON
Jun 25th – London
Jun 26th – Birmingham
Sep 23rd – London
Sep 24th – Birmingham 

Investment £149+VAT
‘Bring A Friend’ £129+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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