Welcome to issue 295 of the ukrecruiter newsletter.  We are conducting a survey into how you feel about the content of this newsletter.  Please give your feedback by completing a short questionnaire here.  

CONTENTS

Visit http://www.careersinrecruitment.com for the latest recruitment industry jobs.

My Favourites

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/ - A great website to keep track of the demand for particular IT skills. It also includes a helpful guide to rates and salaries which is great for anyone involved in recruitment and the IT industry.

http://www.google.co.uk/ig?hl=en - Personalise your Google homepage and your life will never be the same! Choose from hundreds of optional add-ons from the useful Google Maps, World Time Zones and Currency Converter to pretty much anything you can imagine. A great way to organise all your business tools in one easy page.

http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/dirtool.htm - This may seem like I'm cheating but the site is genuinely my new favourite! All the best websites in one place, great for both work and play... Well done guys!

Provided by Simon Hart from Commonwealth Contractors 

Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm

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Advertisement

Recruiters – How much income do you lose by turning away vacancies?

Launched in December 2006 and with over 200 agencies registering in the first month, www.SplitFeeJobs.com offers recruiters the opportunity to advertise their jobs to other recruiters and work together on a “Split Fee” basis.

By registering for free on www.SplitFeeJobs.com, you’ll also receive an immediate alert when another recruiter adds a job that is within your area of specialism, allowing you to develop an agreement on a job-by-job basis.

So don’t turn away that vacancy – work with another agency and split the fee! 

Article One: IT outsourcing: The Importance of Finding the Right Long Term Partner by The Internet Group 

As IT systems become more complex, recruitment companies are increasingly outsourcing the management of their IT systems. 

This article looks at the reasons why companies are turning to this type of managed service, and what reasonable expectations they should expect from their IT support provider.

Outsourcing refers to using an external company to manage one of your business functions. In regard to Information Technology outsourcing, at the most basic level this might include the resolution of any problems that an organisation encounters as a result of its IT systems: IT support on demand, if you like. Increasingly however recruitment companies are asking IT specialists to assume full control of all their IT needs. This would include managing the organisation’s entire IT infrastructure – from email to web servers – allowing the recruiter to focus on their core business: recruiting. 

Perhaps understandably, smaller recruitment firms cannot justify the costs of employing an in-house IT technician. Additionally, having an in-house IT technician whose proficiency can’t be evaluated poses its own problems, as they are unable to assess the strength and weaknesses of the delivery and, crucially, there is no one to escalate the problem to if something goes wrong. Furthermore, reliance on one member of staff to manage the whole IT infrastructure makes organisations particularly vulnerable in cases of forced leave of absence, sick leave, holidays and so forth. 

Using an external provider gives small and medium organisations the advantage of a support team - therefore avoiding complete reliance on one individual. Consequently it also means that more than one person understands the company’s IT infrastructure and what needs to be achieved to maximise its efficiency. 

Larger organisations with internal IT teams also look to external companies for help and guidance as this means benefiting from staff with different skill sets and knowledge. In practical terms, that might mean that a company might be able to automate certain aspects of its workflow, therefore increasing the productivity of internal teams. An external company can also add very valuable third-party perspective to an internal IT team that may not have the oversight or experience on certain technical issues. External providers are also more likely to be the beneficiaries of ongoing training, and be in a position to advise on the latest technology developments. 

When hiring an IT outsourced supplier, organisations need to carefully weigh up their needs. Good questions to ask include: how could technology improve my business processes? What in-house house expertise – if any – do we have? How could our IT systems become more reliable? Do we want to enable remote working?

One key offering to look for in a potential IT outsourcing partner is around proactive problem solving – specifically, the ability to monitor and resolve potential IT issues before they have even happened. Good providers will monitor a company’s network, constantly ensuring that all IT systems are working, as well as making sure that anti-virus and anti-spam updates are completed seamlessly, that there is no shortage of disk space, and that back-ups are completed every night without fail. Larger IT support suppliers have evolved to deliver a comprehensive suite of IT solutions to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of today’s corporate world. For instance, that might mean having development teams writing bespoke software, and benefiting from hosting and ISP services through a dedicated data centre. 

Long-term reliability is another key factor to check when on the lookout for an IT outsourcing provider. A good idea is to visit the provider’s offices to ensure practical application of their services. For example there should be evidence of their proactive monitoring services, and remote alert mechanisms for client systems.

IT support providers should be key, long term, business partners - choosing the right firm will allow you to reap the benefits of reliability and business process improvement, whilst you are freed to focus on your core business: sourcing the best talent for your clients. 

For more information on the benefits of outsourcing your IT infrastructure, contact Mitchell Feldman: Mitchell@theinternetgroup.com.  The Internet Group is provides proactive IT support and consultancy to the recruitment sector. Find out more about them at www.theinternetgroup.com or call 0845 458 0497.

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Advertisement

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Article Two: Building Relationships Via an Email Newsletter By Simon Bennett

I’ve just enjoyed a very pleasant lunch with a potential client. Pleasant not just because he paid but because there were no goals set; no objectives defined; no ‘sales presentations’; no schedules, deadlines, action points or minutes. We simply talked – about business (a bit); about families, sport and leisure; about this and about that.

He’s now left for his office and I’m sitting here – espresso in one hand, pen in the other – reflecting that ‘lunches’ are less about overt selling and more about ‘relationship building’; that lunches are ‘non-threatening’; and that lunches are fun!

Every time I enjoy a lunch like this one, the same thought goes through my mind – “If I could have a lunch like that with every single client and prospect every single month, think how good that would be for my business!” I’ll bet it’s just the same with you!

Well – ok – let’s suspend our disbelief for a minute and suppose you could do exactly that. Every month, you have lunch with every client, every prospect and a few people you’ve never even met before!

I think a number of things would follow:

  • They would appreciate much better why you’re in business; what you aim to achieve for your clients; and what makes you different.

  • They would start to build a relationship with you, the person, rather than just your company – a relationship based on an understanding of your values, beliefs and feelings, rather than one defined merely by your business offering.

  • You would put on about two stones in weight and need a whole new wardrobe

Think of your email newsletter being in lieu of a monthly lunch with every single contact you have – which would clearly be impossible. It may not be as good as a ‘face to face’ – it isn’t quite so personal nor is it as interactive – but it’s the next best thing! It keeps you ‘front of mind’ with a lot of people that really matter to your business (your existing contacts); it unearths lots of opportunities that might otherwise have stayed under the table (so your phone rings); and it’s not so fattening!

Remember though that newsletters – like lunches - are about ‘relationship building’ not ‘selling’. If you took unfair advantage whenever you had lunch with a client or prospect by going into ‘heavy selling mode’, you’d soon be spending your lunchtimes having a sandwich alone in your office!

It’s ok to talk about your company (a bit) but if you push your products, services and professional portfolio too obviously in your newsletter, you’ll be losing subscribers every time you publish – as well as losing the most cost and time effective way there is to grow your business. 

The one ‘bit of business’ I mentioned earlier was in the form of a question on his part. “What should I write about in my email newsletter?”

I have two answers to that question. One refers to your giving a little bit of your expertise away for free in each issue – and a little bit of yourself too. The other answer is this:

Suppose you’re having lunch with your favourite client. He or she says, “So, what can you tell me from your professional perspective that I could do right now to make my business more successful?” Chances are that your answer to that question will make perfect content for your next newsletter – which will then benefit all of your readers, not just your favourite client.

Finally - a note for those recruiters for whom every first call is a ‘cold call’. Just imagine what it would be like if you could have a few, very pleasant, non-threatening lunches with prospective clients before meeting them ‘on business’ for the first time! 

Treat your readers as valued lunchtime companions; let them get to know you through your newsletter; inform, engage and entertain them – and you may just find on that (very warm) ‘first call’, you’ll have them eating out of your hand!

© Simon Bennett.  As a ‘relationship marketing’ consultant, Simon Bennett is the founder of ‘enewsletters4’ – a company which thinks life is better when prospective clients ring you rather than the other way round. Simon welcomes lunch invitations on info@enewsletters4.co.uk or 01509 670612

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Did you know that newsletter is delivered to over 14,000 UK recruitment professionals every week?

Why not advertise with us?  We also take adverts on our website and can put together a package that suits your needs.  

For information email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk

Don't Miss This

Press Release: Stuart Cox award Winner
"The team at The Workshop are immensely proud that their Managing Director, Stuart Cox has won the title of Business Personality of the Year in The News Business Excellence awards. The Workshop was started by Stuart Cox and Andrea Dryden in 1988, over the years the company has grown and new divisions have been added. Today The Workshop continues to be one of the largest independent agencies in the area, with a reputation for quality service. www.workshoprecruitment.co.uk"

Press Release: Alexander Hughes goes Global
"European based clients of executive search consultants Alexander Hughes and Alexander Hughes Interim Management can now take advantage of a global recruitment solution following the company’s decision to forge strategic partnerships in the US and Asia. Alexander Hughes’ new strategic partners are; Nosal Partners, which has 7 US offices based in San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, Seattle and Silicon Valley; and SES, an executive search specialist with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taiwan. http://www.alexanderhughes.com"

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Discussion Board Summary

Don't forget to visit The Discussion Board. Current topics on the site include:

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It is free to use the discussion board and you don't have to register to view messages. Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

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Online Recruitment Update (sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk for "the UK's favourite job posting system")

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 20th January 2007
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk, www.totaljobs.com, www.monster.co.uk, www.jobs.nhs.uk, www.jobsite.co.uk, www.reed.co.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk, jobs.tes.co.uk, www.friendsreunitedjobs.co.uk and www.jobs.ac.uk. Hitwise don't aggregate data from sites who form part of a network such as fish4.co.uk For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Louise's UK Recruiter blog
In the past week I've talked about Joel Cheesman's sponsorship deal, JibberJobber and a Press Release I received.  You can read "Louise's UK Recruiter blog" at http://ukrecruiter.typepad.com 

You can keep up to date with other the recruitment blogs from the UK via the UK Recruiter blog watch page at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/blogs.htm.  You may also be interested in reading Jim Stoud's Blog from the US.

Press Release: Launch of CV Search Tool
"Absolute Searching, is ARC Technologies Ltd's (ARC) flag-ship product. With the search tool there is no need to use complicated search strings – the programme understands normal language and the benefits of using the tool are immediate. Consultants can set up searches so that CVs of a specified type are garnered from job-sites and other databases and are delivered straight to their inbox ready for 9.00 a.m. each morning. The software even provides consultants with fresh CVs for a particular job daily without duplication and there is no need for manual searches. This is especially helpful in a candidate-led market where the first consultant to the CV gets the placement. http://www.absoluteresourcing.com"

Press Release: New Online Job Hunting Guide
"A new version of the interactive guide to job hunting on the internet, The Online Job Hunting Guide, has just been released. First published online in 2003, the guide has been updated to help job seekers, whether they are searching for a job online for the first time or are already familiar with online job hunting. Unlike a printed publication (which is out of date as soon as it is printed) by viewing the guide online readers will always be viewing the most up to date version. http://www.onlinejobhunting.co.uk"

This section is sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk; "the UK's favourite job posting system".

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Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk

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