It is easier to give birth than raise the dead…

It is easier to give birth than raise the dead…

I have always centred my recruitment career around NEW business.  Why not old business?  Why not a warm client?  Because what has been and gone before you is NOT under your control. The phrase ‘it is easier to give birth than raise the dead’ is a phrase that my Dad...

What you want isn’t what you need/what you need isn’t what you want

What you want isn’t what you need/what you need isn’t what you want

We had a great example this week of a candidate who was initially rejected on paper… who then went on to be offered the role after we pushed back. CVs are often quite a limited and old-fashioned way of displaying a person’s experience and credentials.  They can be...

Many hats in HR

Many hats in HR

I talk to so many people in HR that have an overwhelming amount of responsibility under their remit.  One HR Professional I spoke to the other day not only had recruitment under her job title but also payroll for the entire organisation!  Talk about two of the most...

What you resist, persists

What you resist, persists

It’s one of those cute phrases that pops up on Instagram when you least expect it. But I’m starting to see that there is truth in these words. How often do we put things off?  Avoid the uncomfortable?  Avoid putting our own needs first?  How often do we resist asking...

Never too late to make a career change

Never too late to make a career change

We work on average 1,866 hours per year.  That’s not counting the overtime, the business trips away, the training and the conferences we attend. If you are unhappy at work, generally this translates to being unhappy with life. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear...

Are you coasting or roasting?!

Are you coasting or roasting?!

I read an interesting concept called the see-saw principle in Susan David’s book Emotional Agility.  It discussed the idea behind being over-competent at your job compared with being over challenged in your role. Both were extreme. If you are over-competent at your...

Where have all the gatekeepers gone

Where have all the gatekeepers gone

Recruitment on the client side of things used to be about phone calls and gatekeepers.  You get a yellow pages and work through the list of businesses to work out who the MAN was (Means, Authority, Need).  This was often done by navigating a number of gatekeepers...

Job ad vs actual job

Job ad vs actual job

We've had a few jobs this week where the job advert wasn't reflective of the actual job. This was due to not having sufficient contact with the hiring manager and being able to thrash out the finer details of what they're looking for. Recruitment is all about the...

Grudges

Grudges

Has anyone else got any grudges that they’re holding on to? I realised recently just how many I had and the negative effect it was having on my relationships with people in general.  As that wonderful quote in the film Jerry Maguire says ‘if you don’t love everybody,...

Good candidate experience

Good candidate experience

What are some of the worst experiences you’ve had as a candidate? I’m sure you can remember one that still sticks out in your mind because a bad interview is rarely forgotten! Mine was an interview for a high street agency.  They had kept me waiting for over half an...

Big Names

Big Names

Much like Steven Gerrard at Villa, Frank Lampard at Everton and currently Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City were ‘big names’ when they were appointed, they didn’t deliver what they were expected to! Having despaired over the years at clubs making this mistake time and...

Alignment 2

Alignment 2

Are your applicants and candidates being mis-sold? Alignment in all areas of your recruitment process is KEY to attracting, retaining and succession planning future talent for your business. Yet, so few businesses are able to align their values and ethos with the...

What you aren’t hanging you’re choosing

What you aren’t hanging you’re choosing

This time of the year is great for taking stock of how far you’re come in 2023.  All those goals that you managed to achieve; often against the odds.  All those times you couldn’t see the way ahead but managed to find a solution.  All those days you woke up and...

Discipline your disappointment

Discipline your disappointment

‘Discipline your disappointment’ has been a catchphrase in my family for as long as I can remember.  I had my Dad’s words ringing in my head this weekend after not 1 but 5 kids pulled out last minute of my daughter’s little birthday party. She, fortunately, was none...

Paint a picture

Paint a picture

You aren’t attracting the best talent to your teams. When you do interview someone amazing, it falls through before they get started. Your teams are crying out for more support but it needs to be the right fit. You are an amazing company to work for but can’t...

The Change Curve

The Change Curve

I attended the Karren Brady Women in Business Event a couple of weeks ago and was lucky enough to join a Capital One roundtable hosted by Kaj Bansal and Shama Hamid. The title was The Power of Discomfort; Developing Resilience Through Change and during that roundtable...

The why of work

The why of work

In a recent survey, only 4% of respondents claimed that their motivation for work was pay.  More prevalent factors were their ‘sense of connection with their team, challenge in their work and feeling empowered in their roles’. Emotional Agility, Susan David This is...

Visibility Fears

Visibility Fears

How many of us have posted something and then felt a bit twitchy afterwards and perhaps even taken it down? Was that a bit too personal? Did I use the right terminology and grammar? Am I going to offend anyone? Personal brand is a term that many companies are...

Why Recruitment is ‘expensive’

Why Recruitment is ‘expensive’

Many clients, friends and family over the years have asked me this question.  They see the % fee at the time of candidate placement and wonder how we can justify it.  This was particularly challenging for me when I worked with schools who often had tight budgets and...

Fear of not belonging

Fear of not belonging

‘The notion of separation is our biggest delusion’Eckhart Tolle How many of us feel like we’re different, we don’t fit in or don’t belong.  Funnily enough, I think at some point in everyone’s lives they have felt like this so most people can relate to these feelings...

Mitigating Risk of Candidate Drop Out

Mitigating Risk of Candidate Drop Out

How frustrating is it when you’ve come to the end of the recruitment process and it all falls through?  The candidate seemed so keen at interview.  They would have been perfect for your team.  They didn’t say they had other interviews lined up… We feel your pain.  I...

The Importance Of Upskilling Employees

The Importance Of Upskilling Employees

What is upskilling? Upskilling involves improving the skills, knowledge and competencies of your current employees, usually through training. It gives your team the chance to build expertise and advance their professional growth. Why is it important? Employees own...

Changing your Mind About a Job Role

Changing your Mind About a Job Role

Is there a right and wrong way to change your mind about a job role? In a world where people seem to change their minds daily about decisions that affect all our lives, is there a better way? If you have applied or interviewed for a new position and have concerns...

Be Prepared

Be Prepared

When you are attending an interview its really important that you are prepared, this will enable you to showcase the best possible version of yourself. Please see below some tips to help you prepare: Research the company – Look at the website, news, press release,...

How to Increase Employee Retention

How to Increase Employee Retention

Getting that perfect addition to your team is one thing – ensuring that they stay there is another. Unfortunately, we hear only too often that some recruitment agencies like to play a box ticking game, placing people in a new role with no thought for the aftermath. We...

Why employers need to have full salary transparency in job adverts

Why employers need to have full salary transparency in job adverts

Disclosing your full package benefits employers as well as the candidate. Find out why salary transparency is vital when recruiting. We find a lot of employers can be reluctant to disclose their full package details when recruiting. We get it, it’s awkward discussing...

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use a Recruiter

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use a Recruiter

Recruiting is often like panning for gold. In a saturated market, it can feel like there is tons of silt to shift through to find just one piece. It feels overwhelming and inefficient. Sometimes, it is a question of not knowing where to look, mastering the perfect...

5 Interviewing Mistakes that Employers Make

5 Interviewing Mistakes that Employers Make

Recruiting is like dating; there is a process to finding the perfect match. Have you ever been on a blind date? You may be the most self-assured, confident person in the world but being intensely observed by another is enough to make anyone feel slightly uneasy. Not...