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Welcome to issue 356 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. Don't forget about the suppliers directory on our site. For example, why not check out our recently updated list of Healthcare, Nursing and Pharmaceutical job boards. | 
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CONTENTS
Visit http://www.ukrecruiterjobs.co.uk for the latest recruitment industry jobs. |
How To Deal With Client Rejection & Increase Your Sales Results - Part Six by Gavin Ingham Change your strategy Keep on doing what you’re doing and you’ll carry on getting what you’re getting! Someone wise once defined madness as carrying on doing what you’re doing and expecting to get a different result! Reframing rejection into a learning experience is important but so is changing what you’re doing. There’s no point carrying on doing something that doesn’t work even if you feel ok about it! If you’re not getting the results that you want, devise a new strategy and take action. I’m always amazed by the number of salespeople who are literally stumped by simple client objections like, “Can you send me literature?” or “We have an existing supplier.” Recruiters literally keep on repeating the same mistakes in answering these over and over! Changing your strategy need not be complex but it does require commitment to change. This article was written by
author and motivational speaker Gavin Ingham. Sign up for his free
Sales Success newsletter and read his blog now at www.gaviningham.com We are interspersing this series with the regular "My Favourites" piece. So why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm |
Advertisement Download your copy – the 2008 Recruitment Report How has the credit crunch impacted recruitment prospects for 2008? Which recruitment firms have been named amongst the top performers this year? Find out by downloading your copy of the Top-Consultant.com annual recruitment report. Available for immediate download from:
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Article One: Social Networking – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? By Steve O’Neil No-one can deny the dramatic affect social networking sites are having on modern society in recent times. Only a few years ago such sites did not exist but now, almost half of the people in the UK have some form of on-line profile. Sites such as Youtube, Facebook and MySpace have firmly cemented themselves into our everyday language and woven themselves throughout our social fabric. Opinions on the subject can be as varied as the sites themselves, ranging from outright damnation by technophobe zealots to profound acclamation by those that genuinely depend on such sites to express themselves and communicate with others. Irrespective of if you have a strong opinion on the subject or treat it with complete nonchalance, social networking sites are here to stay. In today’s society, this phenomena has taken such a hold that it is now entering the workplace as a matter of routine and for millions of employees such sites form a systematic part of their day. Some organisations became early adopters of the sites, embracing the potential opportunities that could be derived from such a concentrated mass of individuals. Many organisations have grown using social networking sites as a principal market place, from your large computer manufacturers selling PCs directly to individuals to on-line dating sites luring new members. There is also another use for social networking sites other than direct commerce and marketing of products and that is recruitment. Some companies, such as Barclays and Microsoft, recognised this early on and launched full recruitment advertising campaigns on the social networking sites including recruitment videos. This has become even more sophisticated in the fact that these sites have common interest networks (geography, skills, hobbies and employers etc.) so recruiters can target even more focused demographics to maximise the quality of their response. The propensity for openness has drawn some recruiters (both in-house corporate recruiters and agency led recruiters) to utilise these sites as a means of investigating individuals as to their suitability as candidates for particular roles they are sourcing. After all, most seasoned interviewers have met candidates who, on the face of it, seemed straightforward and ideal for the role but have been taken aback once they learn of some of the “out of office” activities they partake in and if they had known that up front, perhaps they wouldn’t have hired them. Even though the temptation and ability is there for recruiters, and in a large part Line Managers, to conduct clandestine searches on individuals it does not make it right, appropriate or legal in the context of the hiring and interview process as you may discriminate against the candidate based on information that comes to light. One must assess the potential nature of the data that is likely to be accessed in the context of the UK Data Protection Act (DPA). The DPA draws a distinction between “sensitive” personal data and other, or “ordinary” personal data. “Sensitive” personal data means information “data” relating to individual’s race, political opinions, religious or other similar beliefs, trade union membership, health, sexual life or criminal convictions; all of which can be highly visible on social networking sites and on individual’s profiles. As such, any individual or organisation conducting these searches would require the express and explicit consent of the individual in question to search the sites. Even if the search was termed as part of a wider “internet media search” the DPA dictates that one has to divulge exactly where that information has been retrieved from and how it has been used and interpreted to the individual concerned if asked (which would certainly occur if anything adverse was identified and an offer was withdrawn). To complicate matters further, some Data Protection Lawyers believe that strictly speaking, sites such as facebook, YouTube, MySpace and the like are in fact the acting data controllers under DPA therefore any third party looking to use this information in a commercial arrangement would also need the express and explicit consent of the site itself in addition to the consent of the individual concerned. It is also common for individuals to place certain security protocols and viewing restrictions around their on-line profile to just allow their friends and family to view their details and by direct invitation only. ID fraudsters have created pseudo profiles and coerced individuals to accept them into their group or network and once achieved they would have full access to their personal data. Although effective, this practice should never be adopted by professional recruiters or pre-employment screening companies as this surmounts to the obtaining of information by deception and could lead to prosecution under the DPA and an employment tribunal. There is also a moralistic issues. Even if this information can be obtained legitimately under the DPA, should an employer even be using that information when making hiring decisions? In the eyes of the DPA vetting should only be used as a means of obtaining specific information, not as a means of general intelligence gathering – the data controller (person collecting the data) should ensure that the extent and nature of information sought is justified. If employers do have access to such open source information they are still bound by extensive discrimination legislation such as the Sex Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act, the Disability Discriminations Act, the Equality Act and of course the Age Discrimination Act. This clearly limits the type of information that could be used from social networking sites even if all DPA conditions are met. What may be evident are inferences to an individual’s character based on comments made by other people, photographs placed on the profile page and other such indicative signs of conduct and integrity. Unfortunately under DPA the data controller can only use information that comes from reliable sources and matter of opinion from an associate of the individual can only be treated as unreliable and circumspect. Irrespective of which way you approach the subject of utilizing social networking sites for the purposes of employment it is conclusive that aside from the moral issues Data Protection and anti-Discrimination laws are sufficient to discount the application of such personal sensitive information in hiring decisions, therefore including social networking sites in either recruitment or pre-employment screening activities is not only ill advised and limited but is also a high risk strategy and one that will ultimately invite employment and discrimination tribunals in their droves. The Security Watchdog Screening Bureau is a market leading provider of pre-employment screening services across EMEA. Viewed as a Best Practice organization they offer the full outsourced screening service for a client base of over 150 household names and are the emerging force within the market. They offer the definitive answer to all regional and specific in-country questions pertaining Data Protection and give clear, accurate guidance on what screening measures can be taken across the globe. www.securitywatchdog.org.uk |
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Article Two: A Candidates view of the world of recruitment – Part One In this two part article a senior candidate talks about his experiences of the recruitment industry. As a long serving Managing Director and Senior Vice President of a large international branded business I am experiencing the world of recruitment companies as a candidate (and not a client) for the first time. My experience is mixed. I am currently searching for my next challenge as a leader of a business in the consumer sector. Having researched the recruitment companies active in this particular sector I set about creating a list of companies and contact names. I did this through a combination of database searches and internet websites. In all I created a list of 31 recruitment companies with 100 individuals within those companies. The following feedback and tips was constructed having contacted (or trying to contact) these companies, and in a world where I presumed that the candidate would be regarded as “the product or revenue generator” I was at times shocked by the way in which the candidate can be treated. This then is a non-biased, and constructive attempt at giving feedback to the recruitment industry. Who is the customer? So lets take a look at ten simple tips for the recruitment company that excels in customer led thinking. 1. Treat both your clients and candidates as customers. Strive to provide excellence in all that they experience from you. For candidates, sheer volume means that you may not be able to treat each applicant with individual service so design a process through which they feel cared for and respected. 2. Make yourself easily accessible. It is amazing how some companies are just difficult to make contact with. In the worst-case not even Yell.com or their website gives their telephone number. The best I got was a generic email address to write into. 3. Train your receptionist/secretaries. Not training or preparing your receptionist/secretaries on how to handle enquiries is a mistake that many companies fall into. Yet these people are more than often the first contact point. Well trained and knowledgeable receptionists and secretaries can not only help develop an excellent reputation and brand but can also help save time and money.
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Online Recruitment Update (This section is sponsored by http://www.1Job.co.uk; "the leading UK job search engine") UKRecruiterJobs:
Traditional, On-line and Corporate HR Recruitment Job Board Hitwise top 10 Recruitment
Sites, week ending 10th May 2008 Louise's UK Recruiter blog Discussion Board Summary Press Release: UK’s First Comparison Site for the Recruitment Industry This section is sponsored by http://www.1Job.co.uk; "the leading UK job search engine" |
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Advertisement Looking for recruitment consultants, managers or directors, HR recruitment professionals or on-line recruitment professionals? Look no further! UKRecruiterJobs is the specialist job board of the renowned and highly respected UK Recruiter organisation. - Our Approach is to limit the volume of job
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Don't Miss This Recruitment Networking
Event, 29th May Leeds Press Release: REC Appoints New Chief Executive Employer Branding Breakfast Invitation - Barkers & The Telegraph Media Group, 11th June Experts for Recruitment Conference, 24th June Press Release: Recognition for Eutopia at Recruitment Awards |
Please forward this newsletter on to any colleagues or recruitment friends who you think might like to receive the newsletter.
Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk
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