Welcome to issue 314 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. 

 

ukrecruiter

CONTENTS

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

My Favourites

www.applegate.co.uk - Promoting the best of Industry, Technology and Manufacturing in the UK and Ireland - exactly what it says on the can, actually

www.iii.co.uk - For checking out the financial health of any UK plc BEFORE you sign that contract

www.suewoodfine.co.uk - Botanical floral images to reduce stress levels AFTER you've signed that contract


David Learner is the Business Development and Resourcing Manager at Delta Consultants: www.delta-consultants.com  

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

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Article One: Onrec.com conference review by Louise Triance

Last Tuesday (5th June) Onrec.com’s annual Online Conference and Exhibition was held in London at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. 

The day started with Gerry Crispin of Careerxroads (www.careerxroads.com) talking about “Competing for Quality Hires”. Gerry was very insightful and thought provoking and gave an excellent key note speech setting the day up well. A fair part of his content was North American but this was actually quite thought provoking in terms of opportunities in the UK and he had also done an admirable amount of UK research for the presentation. His main message was that you need to put the candidate at the center of your campaign, remember at all times that they have choice and target, engage, inform and respect them in all your online activities (website, application process, etc). He also provided statistics to show that there is a strong link between their opinion and expectations of you as a company and their hiring experience.

Next up was Rob Brouwer of Monster (www.monster.com) providing some insight into the on line recruitment market. He shared his views on the market’s progression – from paper based search and applications, to e-mailing CVs, to job boards with a move towards a one-stop-online-shop for spotting jobs, being spotted by employers, and applying online. Rob was a charming presenter and revealed some interesting statistics pulled from a variety of sources including: 

· UK online recruitment industry now worth more than £200m. Total recruitment advertising market £1.15bn (source: National Online Recruitment Audience Survey (NORAS) and ABC Electronic 2006 research) 
· Recruitment advertising online spend growing by around 80% year on year (source: UK Online Media Spend report from PwC 2005) 
· 63% of online job seekers online everyday 52% of online job seekers have access to internet enabled mobile (source: NORAS January 2007)
· 72% of online job seekers applied for a job they found online, 65% of these obtained interviews and 52% of these obtained jobs (source: NORAS January 2007)

After a quick coffee break and networking opportunity Lisette Howlett of MLH Global Consulting (www.mlhconsulting.co.uk) explored the benefits and challenges of integrating online recruitment into a global talent strategy concluding that it was no longer an option for companies but that there were a number of strategic choices and it had to be well thought through if it is to assure value.

Just before lunch Jeremy Tipper and Marisa Kacary of Capita Consulting (www.capitalconsulting.com) talked about making the most of your on-line media spend to attract high calibre candidates. Whilst a little bit ‘salesy’ their presentation gave some really useful information on the market and demonstrated conclusively that the use of on-line if properly thought through can reap benefits. 

Lunch (beef stew or tuna steak and various salads) was sponsored by daXtra Technologies. The lunch break was long enough to give a really good networking opportunity and to take a look around the exhibition hall. There were 25 exhibiting organisations providing a mix of services including recruitment software, job boards technology and psychometric testing. For those of you interested in the exhibitor “giveaways” visit http://ukrecruiter.typepad.com/uk_recruiter_blog/2007/06/onrec_conferenc.html. 

First up after lunch was Shally Steckerl of Jobmachine.net (www.jobmachine.net). I was really looking forward to his presentation on “sourcing leads from the internet”. However instead of the live performance I was expecting we got a pre-recorded webinar. Whilst most of the techniques he spoke about are not new many of the delegates seemed to be picking up useful tips. For example he suggested searching for CVs by country domain (eg, .fr for France or .de for Germany), composing the search string in the correct language and adding telephone codes. For example “Lebenslauf C++ language:de Frankfurt 49” should find CVs of C++ professionals in Frankfurt, Germany. 

Next was David Roberts of Orange (www.orange.com) talking about the “importance of maintaining your brand in the online process”. David was a very good presenter and shared a great deal about the process that Orange went through. He talked about how they “segment” their brand to attract different types of jobseekers. Some are more influenced by emotional elements (culture, value of the brand in the market, etc) and some by rational elements (salary, benefits, training given, etc). They use this segmentation in their candidate attraction activities and in the information on their website by creating “microsites” for different roles. 

The final presentation of the day was from Alex Merrylees who talked about how he got candidate management “through the door” at Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com). His presentation was very interesting and it was refreshing to see how candid he was about the problems they have faced and the ways they have overcome them. The end result for Virgin has been a 19% reduction in operating recruitment costs.

The last hour of the conference was dedicated to a discussion panel made up of Bernard Howard of totallylegal.com & totallyfinancial.com, Jeremy Pemberton-Pigott of ASE Psychometric Solutions, Dan McGuire of Broadbean Technology, Andy Baker of Trinity Mirror and Dave Smith of CareerBuilder UK.

To the question “what is the one thing that has changed in the last two years” most agreed that there had been a consolidation in the job board market and that the value to recruiters of niche job boards was increasing. They were asked about the relationship between job boards and online assessment tools. The consensus was that psychometric or aptitude screening was not the responsibility of the job boards and that their role as job boards was the delivery of relevant candidates into the recruitment process. However, in light of a CIPD survey stating that 25% of people leave a job in the first six months perhaps a more thorough assessment ought to be everyone’s concern. They also talked about the trend towards video and how once employers embrace the technology with video job adverts job seekers may naturally follow suit with video CVs. I enjoyed the panel session very much although I would have liked to see more variety in the type of organisations represented on the panel. 

Overall I received positive feedback on the event from the delegates I spoke to. Some thought that all the speakers were fantastic and that the day had been well worth the £395 they spent. Other’s had arrived with very specific agenda’s that had not been met and some felt that there were not enough strong speakers. However, overall there was a positive response to the day. 


Louise Triance is the Editor of the UK Recruiter newsletter. “Roving reporter” contributions were made by Charis Banks and Joanna Bennetts of Enhance Media Limited, Matthew Dewstowe of Innovantage and Lisette Howlett of HireScores.com.

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Article Two: How much success do you have? By Helen Miller

Logically we all know we can’t be the best at everything, all the time. Most footballers do not make their national team. Most singers never have a sell-out concert in Wembley. Most charismatic leaders still don’t become millionaire Chief Executives. We can’t all be the best and even if we are we may not be recognised as being the best.

I argue that when we aim to be the best we set ourselves up for disappointment and risk failure. With a planet of more than 6 billion other people the competition is simply too steep. Yet if we never try to improve anything the human race wouldn’t have the wheel! 

So how can we find the balance between the stagnancy of never trying to improve, and the improbability of being the best? We can stop aiming to be the best and begin aiming to be our best. 

When we aim to be our best we measure ourselves against our best work. That could be our clearest and most concise report, our quickest time to run a mile, our best lasagne yet, hosting our best party yet. Measuring your performance today against your best in that field helps you assess your performance and find ways to improve it. It also gives you the possibility of setting another personal best. This is a win/win situation which encourages you to improve whilst giving you the chance to be your best and to enjoy many small successes. 

When we measure our successes on our own scale we can include our values. You may know somebody who has got to the top by flirting, bullying or claiming the credit for other people’s work. This may have made them appear more successful than you but on your scale their achievements are hollow because they didn’t get them fairly. When you measure success on your scale you can take the whole picture into account including your values, commitments and abilities.

What do you do when you have a success? We all know how important it is to notice and praise the successes children have as they grow but what about adults? Do you celebrate when you successfully complete a project, when you pass an exam, get a promotion, have a good appraisal, etc? Celebrations can take whatever form will give you pleasure and remind you that you have had an achievement. Your reward for your achievement must mean something to you. Likewise, if you live or work with adults, show you notice their successes and ask them how they would like to celebrate them. You can recognise their achievements generously and without comparing them to yours.

Success is about perception as well as fact. When you measure your successes against your personal best you will have success more often and it will mean more to you. 

If you would like to read more about this you can visit www.crossroadslifecoaching.co.uk/trail.htm to read the full report.

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Don't Miss This (sponsored by http://www.alljobsUK.com "The UK’s Jobs Portal")

REC News Roundup
These are links to a selection of press releases the Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC) have produced since the newsletter was last sent.  

Recruitment Society Event, Search Engine Optimisation – an essential tool for competitive advantage? 27th June London 
The speakers are Dave King, Director of WCRS and Tim Elkington, Director of Enhance Media. The presentation will run from 6.30 – 7.45, and will be preceded by drinks from 6.00 pm and will be followed by networking and refreshments. The evening will finish at 9.00 pm. If you are interested in attending please contact Richard Taylor at admin@recruitmentsociety.org.uk  

Press Release: CIPD Annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey
"There has been a significant rise in the number of organisations struggling to retain their staff over the past year and recruitment difficulties persist, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). But this research also shows that recruiting from overseas, targeting migrant workers, training existing staff and better use of employer brand will help UK employers tackle these problems. The CIPD’s annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey finds that almost eight in ten organisations struggled to hang on to their staff in 2006, compared to nearly seven in ten in 2005. While the large majority of organisations (89%) providing additional training to internal staff so that they can fill vacancies say that it has a positive impact, only 29% of employers currently use this initiative. The research will be discussed at the CIPD’s Annual Talent Management, Recruitment and Retention Conference, on 19 - 21 June 2007, where delegates can hear what other organisations are doing to tackle their recruitment and retention difficulties. The CIPD’s Annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey 2007 will be available from 22 June from the CIPD website at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys. 

Press Release: Executive Talent in Asia conference
"Do your clients ask you to recruit in Asia? If so, don’t miss the last change to take advantage of “early bird booking rates” for the upcoming search-consult “Executive Talent in Asia” conference in Hong Kong, November. Speakers from 10 countries – including representatives of Lenovo, Standard Chartered, Hay Group, DDI, Hutchison, Eastman Kodak, BP, Cathay Pacific, Philip Morris, AESC, IACPR and many search firms make this a must attend event for any recruiter with an interest in this booming market. Discounted flights on Cathay Pacific are available – further details at www.search-consult.com/asia2007"

Roving Reporter Course Reviewer for Immigration Training in Manchester, 26th June 
We are looking for someone to attend and review a one day Employing Non-UK Nationals course in Manchester on 26th June. If you attend as the ukrecruiter roving reporter you'll get a free place in return for writing up a review for the newsletter. A course overview can be obtained by emailing Ian Westwood at ian@twolimited.co.uk. If you are interested in reviewing the course for the newsletter email contact2@ukrecruiter.co.uk.

This section is sponsored by http://www.alljobsUK.com "The UK’s Jobs Portal"

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Discussion Board Summary

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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 9th June 2007
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk, www.jobs.nhs.uk, www.totaljobs.com, www.reed.co.uk, www.monster.co.uk, www.jobsite.co.uk, jobs.tes.co.uk, www.jobs.ac.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk and www.jobsgopublic.com. 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
Since the last newsletter I've posted the following: 

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.  

Press Release: First Dedicated Jobs Channel for UK Electrical Retail Industry 
"Jobsite (www.jobsite.co.uk) and number one electrical retail publication, ERT Weekly (www.ertweekly.com) have partnered to launch ERT Weekly Jobs, the first dedicated online jobs channel designed to meet the growing recruitment needs of the UK’s £15 billion electrical retail industry. www.ertweekly.com "

Press Release: Accountants Tempted by Sunnier Climes
"Worryingly, 9 out of 10 UK-based accountants are attracted to the prospect of working overseas - as revealed by online job portal theACCOUNTANCYjob.com. Highlighting a potential accountancy ‘brain drain’, 92% of accountant respondents said that they are attracted to the idea of working abroad, with only 8% stating that they saw no temptation. Areas such as Cayman Islands and Bermuda were named top of the accountant ‘wish list’ as places which cannot meet the employment needs of their fast growing economies, and offering fabulous career benefits and a wonderful way of life. UK accountants will be increasingly drawn abroad by career ‘pull’ factors such as attractive tax free salaries, more opportunity for progression and CV building work experience."

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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