|
Welcome to issue 420 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. Our next networking event runs on 5th November. We will be also hosting the NORAs awards at the event. Find out more (http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/networking) and register now (http://recnetnora.eventbrite.com). |
|
CONTENTS
Visit http://www.ukrecruiterjobs.co.uk for the latest recruitment industry jobs |
Weekly Tips - If I've Learnt Three Things 1. Communication is Key 2. A good back office and compliance team are essential 3. There will always be ups and downs, you just have to stick with it. Provided by Emma Green of 33Six Consultancy Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm |
Advertisement Looking for Ex-Management Consultants for In-House Industry roles? In the current climate many more hundreds of Management Consultants are hanging up their laptops and moving client side, taking their leading-edge expertise with them. Their backgrounds, functional and industry sector specialisms are as diverse and comprehensive as your needs. So if you need to shortlist of top business professionals for your roles, let Top-Consultant.com help. To find out more please contact Sarah Nutton on +44 (0)207 667 6880 or sarah@top-consultant.com
|
Article One: How to Achieve your Goals by Gaynor Lowndes Have you ever set a goal that just seemed to evaporate into thin air? We all have. Our lives run rife with fallen promises: We commit to a diet, but find ourselves wolfing down junk a few days later because “It was there.” We sign up for the gym with the best of intentions, yet never actually show our faces there, because we’re “Too busy” – Translate: Too lazy. Then of course, there are the professional goals that I will examine here. We commit to making more sales calls, and then after two days of frenzied business development we burn out and devote ourselves to every menial administrative detail in order to hide from the goal. We aim to participate in training and professional development on a monthly basis, but suddenly it seems like improving our skills would be a tragic waste of precious work time. I described goals as “Fallen promises” earlier. An unfulfilled goal is just that: a promise you have made to yourself, that you have broken. Every time we break a promise made to someone else, we are letting that person down, and they lose some trust in us. This is no different. Every time you break a promise to yourself, you lose a measure of trust in your own abilities, which over a sustained period can obviously lead to loss of motivation and confidence, and in severe cases, discouragement and depression. How do we reverse this epidemic of broken self-promises? How do we set goals that become a product of success rather than discouragement? The answer is simple: We tend to set goals erratically and impulsively. This is a problem, because any successful goal will not be a result of impulsive, scattershot thinking, but of a sustained process of goal-setting which keeps it real, relevant and achievable. Here are my steps to successful goal-setting, based on my 20 years in the recruitment industry. Each step is set out and includes common “Stumbling blocks,” which cause many of us to lose our way and destroy our own goals. So it goes without saying that awareness of these stumbling blocks is crucial to success. I used these steps when I was a consultant, my team used them when I was a manager. Now I teach them as a trainer …. And the positive results have not changed! 1. The Aspiration - Decide what you want to achieve. This is essentially a vision, the original idea of “What I specifically want to achieve.” It is the start point of a successful goal, but also the end point for many a failed goal. Your aspiration is a wonderful birthplace of possibility. You can’t achieve without first having a dream of some kind. Hold onto it, but remember, there is far more to come …. 2. Measure it – Form a precise, tangible goal. It isn’t enough to aspire to “Make more cold calls.” Because all this does is throw up more questions: “How many more cold calls? What kind of calls are they? How many of these should I convert into meetings?” That’s why it is essential to make your goals “Measurable.” Obviously many agencies do that for you with Key Performance Indicators, but the principle applies to any goal that you wish to set personally or professionally. Stumbling block: Aiming too high. Many people burn out when they make their goals measurable, because they set quantitative goals that demand more than they can realistically give. Here’s an example. I once worked with a junior consultant who was suffering from severe call reluctance. He got fed up with it one day and committed to making 75 cold calls a day, when in recent times he’d found excuses and done very few at all. Obviously this was going to end in failure. What he should have done was to gradually work his way up to the goal of 75, in increments of five per day. Instead, he ended up giving up and resigned. So play the numbers game …. It’s an essential part of goal-setting. But remember to make the numbers realistic, and work gradually to reach the ultimate goal if you need to. 3. Visibility – Put it in writing, Reinforce the goal every day. This is another crucial means of bringing the dream into reality. I have my goals hanging in poster form around my office and indeed my bedroom and bathroom. This way my goals are being constantly reinforced in my mind. Generally, a poster I create will state the goal, and beneath it I will include a positive, motivational quote to inspire me as I work towards it. I may also include some pictures to create a “vision board” which is a great way to stay motivated when things get tough. Stumbling Block: Destroying your goals by losing focus. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that “Visibility” is obvious and trivial. I have had friends and family chuckle at the laminated “Goal posters” that decorate the house. But I find these visual reminders essential, because in the relentless “Noise” of our minds, so many of our goals become drowned out over time as our focus is distracted by other things. Think about it, and you will find numerous examples from your own life. Why? Because we don’t reinforce and remind ourselves, and so the goals are essentially forgotten. So as pointless as visual reminders may seem, remember that nothing is more pointless than a failed goal! Three steps, just three. It seems so simple because it is. It is however, essential to remember these steps and be consistent and intentional about following them. Equally important: Remain aware of the “stumbling blocks.” But if you do “stumble,” then simply try again. This may involve changing your aspirations or measurable indicators, but that’s all part of the challenge, not a negative thing at all. I am confident that these simple steps will help bring you success both professionally and personally. Remember too, that success is about the journey, not the destination!
Gaynor is also a contributor to UK Recruiter Plus. You can use your free trial to view up to three articles on the site including those from the series Gaynor has provided for us. These include Beating the Bad Days and Emotional Intelligence. |
Advertisement The future of recruitment software is here, Bond Adapt v11 The vision for the latest release of Adapt brings to the market a unique perspective on recruitment software. The system unites the best concepts of feature rich desktop applications and web based utilities to create a solution that is functionally advanced and utilises the innovative, graphical and accessible nature of the internet. To see what the future of recruitment software looks like, please visit www.bondadapt.com/adaptv11demo or call the sales team on +44 (0) 1903 707070 or sales@bond.co.uk to arrange a full demonstration.
|
Article Two: Ask the Expert! A Regular Feature for UK Recruiter - by Steve Finkel Dear Steve the Expert: I am confused. After 5 years in this business, things are going well. However I am worried about the impact of the recession. What should I do? Worried
To many recruitment consultants, this is a confusing time. On the one hand, broadly speaking, business is going well. Individual niches and recruiters will have difficulty in any given market, but most firms are seeing solid production right now. On the other hand, the recession is real and we see hard times portrayed in our media with more predicted. Is this simply media hype or political posturing? How should we account for these conflicting perceptions of our own observations versus those of so many others? Recruiters whose billings remain strong at this time may wish to consider this: there have been ten post-World War II Recessions in the US, with a similar number in the UK. Every one of them has resulted in serious extended drops in production for those who are unprepared. While no one knows what the future may bring, the likelihood of avoiding another forever is not high. The complete desk/recruiter-oriented solution to proper preparation is covered in several entire chapters of the author’s newly-revised book Breakthrough!. However, here are some keys to survival in a downturn: 1) Focus on expanding your client base. Recruitment consultants who feel they are “busy” with “enough clients” will be surprised when their top clients cut hiring dramatically or freeze it entirely. No business ever went out of business from too many customers; many recruitment firms and people have done so in a slow market due to not having enough. An immediate focus on obtaining new clients is imperative. Try simply doing five presentations (not just calls) to new prospective clients each and every day. That’s a hundred a month. Your odds of getting solid results from this are high. 2) Identify a narrow demand-exceeding-supply niche in your own field. Some people believe that the response to a slow market is to totally change areas of specialization, seeking the “new hot market”. For a recruitment consultant with some experience such as you, this is the worst possible advice. “90% of success”, as Woody Allen has said, “is just showing up”. Changing entire fields requires “showing up” all over again. Rather, what is needed is a small slice of an existing market. 3) Real Recruiting In a recession, more candidates are unemployed. Further, it takes longer for such people to find the right position. Thus it will actually be possible for your clients to find qualified candidates from ads posted on the job boards. Additionally, internet recruitment trainers will be hard at work showing your clients how to avoid paying fees. As Mike Kappel, President of Top Echelon, the world’s largest industry network, has written, “the internet honeymoon is over! Fire up that telephone!” Clients pay us for doing what they cannot do. Real on-the-phone recruiting is at the top of the list, especially in a slow market. There is, of course, much more to surviving a slow market than the three points covered here. Nevertheless, the implementation of these three strategies are critical to survival in the inevitable market downturn that eventually awaits us. Questions? If you have a question for Steve Finkel, our industry’s leading trainer, e-mail newsletter@ukrecruiter.co.uk. Put “Ask the Expert” on the subject line. We cannot reply to every question, but will publish and answer those that are most broadly applicable.
Steve is also a contributor to UK Recruiter Plus. You can use your free trial to view up to three articles on the site including two Steve has provided for us; Predicting the Future and Growth in a Recession
|
Advertisement iCIMS’ Talent Platform streamlines the entire talent lifecycle, enabling clients to recruit, onboard, and support the best talent for their organisations. iCIMS’ scalable software powers the talent management programs of small, medium and large organisations worldwide, including Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Continental Airlines, Whole Foods Market, FedEx, Hershey’s, H&R Block, Cision, LG Electronics, and eHarmony. Use ONE system for all your talent management needs. Applicant tracking, online career centres, EEO reporting, onboarding and employee data management all in one! The system easily scales so you can start small and expand the functionality as your company grows. View a free demo today! http://www.icims.com
|
Online Recruitment Update UK Recruiter Plus - Favourites UKRecruiterJobs:
Traditional, On-line and Corporate HR Recruitment Job Board Hitwise top 10 Recruitment
Sites, week ending 5th September 2009 Louise's UK Recruiter blog Discussion Board Summary |
|
Advertisement UK Recruiter Plus - FREE TRIAL now available The definitive online guide for the UK recruitment industry, UK Recruiter Plus, has been designed exclusively for recruiters, researchers, Recruitment Process Outsourcing specialists and in-house recruitment specialists. UK Recruiter Plus is a comprehensive set of recruitment guides, advice, training tools and solutions written and provided by industry experts. The site has a number of additional benefits - http://www.ukrecruiterplus.co.uk/signup/benefits-of-membership.php We are currently offering everyone a FREE trial of the site - http://www.ukrecruiterplus.co.uk/trial. In addition there is a discount of £25 available to the next 25 subscribers to the site. |
Don't Miss This Press Release: Record UK job applications and steady rise in vacancies Press Release: Technojobs successfully launch eleven new websites Press Release: Record Number of Job Boards Signed Up to NORAS Press Release: Specialist design website launched for the recruitment industry |
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
Subscribe Unsubscribe |
Feedback Advertising |
|
If you want to see back issues of the newsletter visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/recnet NOTE: This newsletter may be copied and distributed free of charge in its entirety. Individual sections may NOT be copied or distributed without prior written agreement. Copyright (c) 2009, UK Recruiter Ltd |