CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Andie Chessun from A&T Sales Recruitment)
• Article One (Don’t Get in a Mess when an Employee Shouts “Stress” by Fox Williams)
• Article Two (Office Angels review by John Harrup)
• Don't Miss This (More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander - 30th September Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://www.copernic.com  a free or paid search engine that does more than most!!!. I ONLY use this system as it has so many extra bolt on's and does not cost a bean. Try it

http://www.multimap.co.uk  I always use multimap when advising clients OR candidates on interview venues. As long as you have an address or post code how can you get lost?

http://www.companieshouse.co.uk  A life saver when looking for reputable clients. Get ALL their addresses and financial's.

Andie P Chessun is Managing Director of www.aandt-salesrecruitment.co.uk

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: Don't get in a mess when an Employee Shouts "Stress" by Fox Williams

We in the UK work more hours than any of our counterparts in Europe. Is it any wonder that people suffer from stress? Whilst many employers think that stress is simply an excuse, ignoring stress in the workplace can prove costly. 

Sickness absence presents a number of problems for employers. If an employee is suffering from stress, employers need to tread carefully. Many people frequently have only a short appointment time with their GPs. This may not be long enough to establish whether there is genuinely something wrong with an employee and he may well be signed off by his GP with stress without much further investigation. Whether this “stress” actually constitutes a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (“DDA”) is another matter. 

A disability under the DDA is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. If an employee has a disability, the employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for that employee. If an employer also discriminates against an employee on the grounds of disability, there is no cap on the compensation which may be awarded. 

A number of recent tribunal decisions have established that “stress” (or “anxiety”, “depression” or “nervous debility”) does not, of itself, enable an employee to claim protection under the DDA. This is because stress is not a disability. However, stress may be evidence of an underlying problem, which could be a disability if it is a clinically well-recognised illness. 

Employers should therefore not assume that an employee signed off with stress is a malingerer. When the employee returns to the office, employers should have a return to work interview with the employee, to establish what the cause of the stress is. Every effort should be made to understand the reason for the employee’s absence and the nature of the illness.

Employers may also want to require the employee to attend a medical with a doctor appointed by the company. This provides employers with an objective assessment of whether the employee is genuinely suffering from stress and, if so, what steps need to be taken to improve the employee’s working environment.

An employee may also have a claim for personal injury if it is his belief that the company has caused his stress. It is reasonably difficult for an employee to succeed in this type of claim since they have to show not just that it was reasonably foreseeable that they would suffer from stress, but that it was reasonably foreseeable that they would suffer a psychiatric illness. This is difficult for an employee to prove but is still an area of exposure for employers.

Employers are also advised to conduct risk assessments for all their employees. If there are any indicators of stress, employers should take steps to try to reduce them (for example, if an employee’s workload is too high, maybe further recruitment is appropriate to share the workload). Employers must document what they have done. Employers may also want to consider introducing a counselling service for employees, if it appears that stress in the workplace is a growing complaint. 

Employers are advised where possible to create a “paper trail”. The company should keep copies of, for example, notes of meetings with the employee to discuss their “stress” and accommodate the difficulties, medical notes showing the apparent causes of the stress and copies of any letters which were sent to the employee. These will all prove useful evidence and could help protect the company against a claim of disability discrimination or unfair dismissal (if the employee is ultimately dismissed).

Employers should take every possible step to avoid, reduce or manage stress in the workplace. Any failure to act will otherwise expose employers not only to legal claims and potential costs but also increase stress levels for both parties. 

Rebecca Davidson is an employment lawyer at City law firm Fox Williams and can be contacted for further information at rdavidson@foxwilliams.com

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Article Two: Recruitment Consultancy Website Review - Office Angels by John Harrup

Company Name – Office Angels
Website Address – www.office-angels.com

Site description
Founded in 1986, Office Angels have steadily grown to become a leading force in recruitment. They now have over 80 offices throughout the UK. As their name suggests Office Angels focus their attention on office based recruitment. They have five clear sector: secretarial, office support, finance, human resources and call centre.

Creative design
The website is designed to be very bold, yet functional. The trademark pink colour is splashed across the pages yet is not too in your face and actually blends well with the pale blue deign of their backdrop. Colour is cleverly used throughout the site with menus and text that stand out and grab your attention.

Ease of use
Navigating through the site is simple with menus staying the same on all pages. This continuity ensures mistakes are easily rectified and you do not spend a long time searching for what you need.

Relevant content
The Office Angels website offers a range of information along with the usual search facilities for both employees and employers. There are helpful tips on going for jobs and what is expected of you along with latest news and events from Office Angels. This includes research that they have carried out into working behaviour and problems that occur in business.

Candidate and client functionality
The menu system provides separation of  candidate and client requirements. I feel Office Angels place a very high importance on meeting their employees and employers as meetings and local branch details are prominent.

Candidate and client marketing and retention
Office Angels, in my opinion, seem to place a higher importance on the retention of candidates rather than clients. There are login facilities and email alerts for the latest jobs for employees and a wide range of information to keep them coming back and visiting the site.

Online marketing
Office Angels achieves excellent rankings on the most popular search engines. They have obviously seen search engine ranking as a critical factor and have invested heavily in this area.

Summary 
To conclude, I feel that the Office Angels website is an excellent platform for finding work and displaying your current job vacancies. Obviously they are specialists in office recruitment and so focus all of their attentions on this broad sector. I believe that Office Angels have an excellent online presence which offers a platform to reach a far wider audience.

John Harrup is a Marketing Executive for Red Ant Design, a professional web design company, offering high-quality accessible websites and development services to clients throughout the UK. You can contact him directly at john@redantdesign.com or 01622 664333, alternatively see their products and services at www.redantdesign.com 

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More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander Associates
Lander Associates are offering ukrecruiter subscribers an exclusive rate for their three-day induction programme. Normally costing £895 per person, ukrecruiter subscribers can book for just £750 per person. Places are limited.  Call 01582 791838 or email info@landerassociates.co.uk quoting reference ukrec.

Thursday 30th September 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
Just four weeks until our next networking event.  Come along to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. It'll be at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
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Feedback

In Issue 171 we started a new scheme to get more feedback from you.  Each week we work through the alphabet and people whose first name begins with letter we've got to are asked to email me your comments on the newsletter: the sort of articles you like, the sort you don't read, new features you'd like to see, etc.  Don't worry if your name doesn't begin with "letter of the week" as feedback from everyone is always welcome!  

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Copyright (c) 2004, UK Recruiter Ltd

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (PLEASE CONTRIBUTE!)
• Article One (Generation X by Gaynor Lowndes)
• Article Two (JobServe Review by Armen Lloyd)
• Don't Miss This (Networking Event - Win access to the CV-Library database - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

We're running low on favourites!  Over 15,000 of you subscribe to the newsletter and it would be great to hear from some more of you.  All I need are the urls of your three favourite web sites and a quick line as to why you use them on a regular basis (you can view the guidelines here at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm)

Look forward to hearing from you.

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Article One: Generation X - what's all the fuss about?  by Gaynor Lowndes

We have heard much about recruiting for, working with and managing Generation X over the past couple of years. A great deal of research has been done on this generation, their wants, needs and expectations. It is essential as a recruiter that we understand what makes this generation tick. To be a successful recruiter we must be comfortable re-educating our boomer clients so that their generational prejudices don’t enter the recruitment equation. We must also change our recruitment methodologies and sourcing strategies to suit, and not expect these candidates to “conform” to the old baby boomer ways of many of our recruitment business owners and managers. This is a restless generation, valuing diversity, being short term focussed and preferring a less structured approach. That means that many of our interview techniques won’t produce the best results and certainly won’t instil trust and loyalty in our candidates. Those agencies that go on to become exceptionally successful will become so because of their loyal candidate base. 

Educating your clients
Work life in 2004 is about intergenerational teams . You will find boomers managing Xer’s as well as Xer’s managing boomers. As a recruiter, you will need to become expert at coaching your clients in interview techniques that will suit each generation. Boomer clients will need to really “sell” the opportunities on offer to the Xer’s as this generation want a workplace where they belong, – this is much more important to them than salary or benefits. Your clients must sell the opportunity to the Xer candidates in this way. Contrast this with Xer clients interviewing boomer candidates and they will have to take a more structured approach to the interview - this generation wants loyalty and respect for their knowledge and abilities. Without an understanding of how each generation thinks, matching clients with candidates can become a minefield.

Your interview Techniques
An understanding of which generation your candidates belong to will assist you in building their loyalty. We all know candidate loyalty is essential to a successful desk, whether you run a temporary or permanent desk is irrelevant. One of the biggest complaints about recruitment consultants is that they don’t treat their candidates well. I believe that one of the reasons why some consultants have gained this reputation is because they don’t understand the expectation of their candidates. How many of you have used the same interview structure on a boomer and an Xer? Consider whether you may have been more successful if you had tailored your interview to suit the particular generation style. Remember that people buy from people like them. Your candidates will be more loyal to you if they trust and respect you.

In summary

Xers
· Take an informal approach
· Consider interviewing in a coffee shop over coffee rather that in your office (taking into account confidentiality issues)
· Take a relaxed approach to the questions
· Your body language should be more relaxed 
· Be mindful of their need for short-term results. If your job is a sideways move for this candidate, you need to sell them on the benefits that would interest them such as social, team or opportunity to learn new skills
· Ask for exclusivity only when you have built their trust by demonstrating an understanding of their needs. They will not respond to insincerity in any form
· Get ready to sell them on why you are the best consultant to deal with them
· Make the interview experience FUN

Boomers
· Take a structured and business like approach to the interview
· Your body language should be less animated and more controlled
· Be mindful of their need for security, loyalty and achievement
· Ask for exclusivity only when you can provide them with a solution. That is if you are sure you can place them quickly. They will want to know exactly what you are doing on their behalf.
· Get ready to sell them on your credentials as a consultant (especially if you are an Xer)
· Make the interview experience pleasant and informative

And for those that manage teams of recruiters
Xer’s abhor micro-management, Boomers respond better. For those of us that have been in the industry for a number of years, micro-management was considered the norm for successful companies. You need to change the way you manage your staff, taking into account what they respond to. Xer’s are interested in the social aspect of work and as such incentivise them accordingly. Hold informal meetings, emphasise the team aspect of your organisation, reward team behaviour. Boomers want money and status. They want to be rewarded on individual achievement. Hold formal meetings and stick to a pre-defined agenda.

Gaynor Lowndes, the Managing Director of The Recruitment Training Company, has over 16 years recruitment experience, gained in Australia and the UK. The Recruitment Training Company provides training and consulting services to the recruitment industry in Australia and New Zealand. For more information visit http://www.trtc.com.au.

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Article Two: JobServe Review by Armen Lloyd

URL: http://www.jobserve.com 

Key stats. (Jobserve provided figures for week ending 25/07/2004)
Page views – 4433794
HomePage – 994363
Searches - 1123026

What the publisher says:
Take a look at Whatmedia and you’ll find this statement: “JobServe is the original and by far the most widely used service of its kind and is the largest source of IT vacancies in the UK. It is used by over 2,500 recruitment agencies and companies to advertise more than 220,000 new vacancies every month - more than any other newspaper, magazine or website. JobServe was recently awarded the Queens Award for Innovation and constantly strives to give the candidates and advertisers the service they want. It is easy to use, fast and efficient and free to candidates”.

Principal market sectors: 
According to their entry on ‘Whatmedia’ they cover everything within IT (with 16 separate IT jobsites). Since then JobServe have diversified and you can now find jobs in a range of market sectors from Human Resources & Training to Travel, Leisure & Tourism. Someone needs to look at the amending some marketing material!

First impressions:
I was a little disappointed in the online sites’ stats. I didn’t find them particularly useful and I am still waiting for a response to the email I sent to the sales team from their ‘contact us’ button. On the plus side, the site came up on the first page of an ‘IT jobs’ Google search, which is always encouraging. The home page is nice and clean and the ‘candidate’ and ‘advertiser’ sections are clearly designated. The search facility has been updated to deliver more accurate searches. How good it is only time will tell. They’ve tried to make the site more interesting with a news section containing the usual career advice stuff but with some new ideas. However, once you start to search news stories seem to be all about JobServe and very little else and with very infrequent updates (judging by the publishing dates). There is little here to make you want to come back for more. Still if it’s just a job you’re after they’ve a great deal to choose from.

Tools for candidates:
Like many of the mainstream sites there’s everything here to encourage the job seeker to stick with the site. Total CV management tools are available including personalised job emails, application tracking and career advice. To get the full picture click through to the ‘JobServe candidate help’ button

Tools for recruiters:
Hard to comment on this one as no-one from the advertising department has contacted me despite my request for help as a potential advertiser. Looking at the advertising currently online the usual obvious stuff is available – job listings, ebrochures, etc.

Candidates strengths:
· Straightforward usability and good speed
· High number of vacancies posted 
· Back office management provides a wide range of tools to make job searching easy

Candidates weaknesses:
I found it a bit bland to look at 
· Still predominantly used by recruitment consultants 
· Main bulk of job postings are in IT (24,000+ compared to 240 in customer services)

Recruiters strengths:
· Good online marketing to attract jobseekers to the site
· Simple ‘credit’ purchase system for advertisers

Recruiters weaknesses:
· Trying to be all things to all people 
· Sales support doesn’t seem very lively 
· Poor online information for advertisers

Summary
Jobserve probably works very well in IT recruitment consultancy market, but I am not convinced it’s as good in other sectors. I found the experience a bit frustrating and would tend to support sites that seem more commercially aware – although JobServe is now West Hams’ shirt sponsor so we might be in for a major marketing drive.

Armen Lloyd is at Drum Resourcing. For more on Drum Resourcing visit http://www.drumrc.co.uk

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Don't Miss This

29th September 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
Why not put our next event in your diary.  Come along to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. It'll be at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

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UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "IT sales recruitment", "Job Boards and CV Databases", and "Dismissal". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 21st August 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentreplus.gov.uk, Jobsite.co.uk, Totaljobs.co.uk, Reed.co.uk, Fish4.co.uk/jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve.co.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk, prospects.ac.uk and Workthing.com. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Camilla Woodhouse from Highfield Human Solutions)
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Web Site Review - Hays by John Harrup)
• Article Two (The Numbers Game: Using your knowledge of HR metrics to provide tangible benefits to your clients By Jamie Barber)
• Don't Miss This (More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander Associates - 29th September Networking Event - Nominate a site for the National Online Recruitment Awards - FTS offer for recruiters to "name your price" for credit checks - Discussion Board)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://uktop100.reuters.com/
List of the countries top 100 graduate employers, which is useful to know which companies are recruiting and growing. The site also gives you recent news articles.

http://www.hayspersonnel.com/pdf/uk/common/sales/sales-marketing.pdf
As with all salary surveys you need to take them with a pinch of salt, but this one looks at Sales and Marketing roles around the country, as well as looking at different levels. Note that you need an Acrobat reader to view it.

http://www.saw-you.com/defaultb.aspx?wl=saw-you
Create south park style cartoon characters of all your work mates. You can download to your phone and desktop. You have to log-in first, but it is amusing.

Camilla Woodhouse is Head of Research at www.highfielduk.co.uk

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

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HotLizard is the premier supplier to the recruitment industry for online recruitment software and excellence in recruitment web site design, development and marketing. 

For more information, please contact Adele Poole, on 01635 527900 or email adele.poole@hotlizard.net.

You can also view further information on HotLizard products and services at http://www.hotlizard.net

Article One: Recruitment Consultancy Web Site Review - Hays by John Harrup

Company Name – Hays
Website Address – www.hayspersonnel.co.uk

Site description
Hays are a global leader in specialist recruitment and HR services. They have a jobs base of over 40,000 and have 3000 “specialist consultants” worldwide. In the UK, Hays can boast 250 offices that are split into a range of expert divisions. These include accountancy, taxation, information technology, office support and purchasing.

Creative design
The site is geared towards function rather than design. However, the site is built in such a way that the comparatively poor design should not put you off returning to the site. Due to its relatively simple design it is clear that Hays have considered the usability and accessibility of the website. 

Ease of use
Navigating throughout the Hays website is easily carried out. The way the site is designed with comprehensive menu systems down each side of the page means that finding information is very easy. The search facility options are detailed, however, the results gained are very specific to your needs.

Relevant content
The content of the Hays website is its best asset. Not only is there an extensive jobs pool, accessed by a detailed search engine, but there is also helpful documents for both candidates and clients. These include recruitment advice, careers help and salary surveys. 

Candidate and client functionality
The Hays homepage is split into two with employees and employers receiving a separate menu list. The menus contain the most important links for both groups. This makes the location of relevant content very easy. The site also allows you to contact local branches directly if you require further information.

Candidate and client marketing and retention
With such a high number of jobs advertised within their database job hunters will constantly return to search for the latest vacancies. Likewise, the employers will see the up to date content and know that their advertised position will receive a large amount of views. Both candidates and clients can receive email updates of the latest relevant jobs. 

Online marketing
Finding the Hays website is easy.  They are on the first page of results from the most popular search engines. This is beneficial for clients who know that if they were to use Hays to locate staff for them they are receiving the best possible coverage.

Summary 
I feel that the Hays website offers a complete comprehensive solution for both candidates and clients. The site not only has a huge jobs base, but also includes content, such as email alerts and relevant documents that mean people will come back to the site again and again. The only slight negative comment about the site is its relatively dull design. However, the vast content more than makes up for this. 

John Harrup is a Marketing Executive for Red Ant, a professional web design company, offering high-quality accessible websites and Internet development services to clients throughout the UK. You can contact him directly at john@redantdesign.com or 01622 664333, alternatively see their products and services at www.redantdesign.com

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Contact Becky on 01582 466459 or email rebecca.tibble@prosperity4.com or refer online today www.prosperity4.com/referacontractor.asp

Article Two: The Numbers Game: Using your knowledge of HR metrics to provide tangible benefits to your clients By Jamie Barber

When discussing the wider issues facing the HR industry with clients it’s likely that the topic of metrics will have cropped up at least in passing. As professional recruiters, you’ll already be familiar with the suite of performance indicators that measure recruiting effectiveness, but you may be less up-to-date with the world of HR metrics. 

The more you are able to converse in the language of HR and senior management the more credibility you will have with them. And just imagine being able to offer clients friendly advice on the use of metrics in delivering tangible business benefits…

Nine steps to metrics excellence
The steps outlined here are not intended to be fully comprehensive or applicable in every circumstance, but they should give your clients some idea as to where and how to start.

1) Re-examine business objectives
Has your client revisited organisational strategic business objectives recently? They should form the cornerstone and ‘reason why’ of any metrics initiative.

2) Take the ‘CUP’ test
Does each set of data make a contribution to the organisational business objectives? Does it provide an insight into whether resources are being utilized at their optimum level? Does it make any assessment of productivity which could lead to efficiency gains? If each set of data does not address at least one of these three criteria, then question the usefulness of continuing to collect it 

3) Keep it simple
‘Information overload’ is a greater threat to the effectiveness of HR than a complete lack of measurement. Research has suggested that in order to focus on the priority areas, around five key metrics is a good place to start 

4) Decide what types of metrics to capture
Metrics fall into three principal categories: historical, real-time ‘snapshots’ and forward-looking. In order to present a comprehensive picture, the metrics suite should ideally contain all three, though the exact proportions will vary depending on industry type and strategic business objectives. 

5) Establish a benchmark
The status quo should be measured so that the future impact of any changes can be assessed. Your client may also benefit from benchmarking against other similarly sized organisations or industry ‘best of breeds’. For more information try the Saratoga Institute (www.saratogainstitute.com), or for a more UK-centric perspective the Benchmarking Centre (www.benchmarking.co.uk).

6) Integrate data collection into existing workflows
To ensure integrity, data should be collected automatically without the need for the manual maintenance of parallel systems. This is the arena in which Enterprise Resource Planning and Applicant Tracking Systems have a key role to play, especially if the organisation has departments scattered across the globe.

7) Allocate resource for analysis
Only by undertaking rigorous analysis will HR be able to transform data into meaningful and valuable strategic information. However, avoid ‘paralysis by analysis’. If you make the results too complex they may be dismissed out of hand 

8) Have the power to act
The gathering of metrics is a futile exercise if HR lacks the teeth to act promptly on the findings. 

9) Close the loop
Good business practice stipulates that all business processes and procedures should be subject to periodical review. The gathering of metrics should be no exception. Build in a review date.

The prospect to your client of using metrics strategically to take real competitive advantage should be extremely enticing. The payoff for you as a recruiter is that you are perceived as an HR expert and trusted partner. Which won’t do your business any harm at all.

Sources
The following sources are suggested for further reading:
Electronic Recruiting Exchange (www.erexchange.com); HR.com (www.hr.com); iLogos Research (www.ilogosresearch.com);  Strategic HR Review (www.researchandmarkets.com); The Conference Board (www.conference-board.org)

Jamie Barber is a Consultant for IntroNet, the providers of Total Resourcing Solutions. In addition to analysing client requirements in relation to market trends for blue-chip organisations within the UK and Europe, Jamie also has extensive hands-on and managerial experience gained with the UK’s largest specialist finance recruitment consultancy. He can be contacted at Jamie.Barber@IntroNet.com

Advertisement

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...the Lander Associates 3 day Induction programme, which provides a recruiter with essential tools to best practice standards. This course gives your new starters everything they need to build a profitable desk, leaving you free to run your business. 

Re-launching on 15th - 17th September 2004 
For an agenda or to book a place call now on 01582 791838 or e-mail info@landerassociates.co.uk. See our full range of performance enhancing services on our website www.landerassociates.co.uk

Don't Miss This

More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander Associates
Lander Associates are offering ukrecruiter subscribers an exclusive rate for their three-day induction programme. Normally costing £895 per person, ukrecruiter subscribers can book for just £750 per person. Places are limited.  Call 01582 791838 or email info@landerassociates.co.uk quoting reference ukrec.

29th September 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
I know it's nearly two months away - but why not put our next event in your diary.  Come along to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. It'll be at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

Nominate a site for the National Online Recruitment Awards 
AlljobsUK.com is hosting the fourth annual National Online Recruitment Awards (NORA) on Monday 18 October 2004. The categories for which nominations have been invited are: 1. Best General Jobsite; 2. Best Specialist Jobsite; 3. Best Regional Jobsite; 4. Best National Recruitment Agency Website; 5. Best Small Recruitment Agency Website (3 branches or less); 6. Best Employer’s Website (recruitment); 7. Best Online Recruitment Section by a Consumer Publication; 8. Best Online Recruitment Section by a Trade Publication and 9. Best Employment Advice Website. Nominations will produce a shortlist of 5 finalists for each of these categories. Again, this year, I will be one of the judges. Visit http://www.alljobsuk.com/awards/awardform.shtml to nominate.

FTS offer for recruiters to "name your price" for credit checks
As an REC business partner FTS Credit Services have a special offer to members on credit reports which they would like to extend to UK Recruiter members: the offer being NAME YOUR PRICE.  Tell FTS how much you would like to pay for credit checks and if they can do it for that price they will. Just send an email to jdarvell@ftscredit.co.uk with your contact details and how much you would like to pay and they will do the rest.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Client becoming candidate - with a twist", "Preferred Supplier contract" and "New Regs Perm". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Subscribe

Don't forget to let your colleagues know about this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe - it's completely free of charge - all they need to do to receive their own copy of the ukrecruiter newsletter is complete our simple form 

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Go to http://ukrecruiter.willco.com/ and log on using your email address. Click on the link to "member details", and then "delete my account". You can also use this area of the site to change the email address the newsletter is sent to.

Feedback

In Issue 171 we started a new scheme to get more feedback from you.  Each week we work through the alphabet and people whose first name begins with letter we've got to are asked to email me your comments on the newsletter: the sort of articles you like, the sort you don't read, new features you'd like to see, etc.  Don't worry if your name doesn't begin with "letter of the week" as feedback from everyone is always welcome!  

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Cindy Law from Paddy-Murphy Ltd)
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Website review - OES by Hugo Pickering)
• Article Two (What is Intelligent Talent Management? by Jeff Holmen)
• Don't Miss This (CV Library Winner - Feedback from you - 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Telephone Skills Course - Coaching and Personal Discovery Weekend, Mount Snowdon - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://groups.google.co.uk - Discussion groups - International and UK.  To be honest most of the content is not business focused.  However, there are some discussion groups worth following.

http://spamcop.net - If you are suffering from junk emails you can register (for free) with this site and report anyone who you think is sending spam.

http://www.numbercheck.co.uk - If you are making cold calls you can check if someone has requested their phone or fax number not be used for these purposes.

Cindy Law is a Consultant at Paddy-Murphy Ltd

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: Recruitment Consultancy Website review - OES by Hugo Pickering

Company Name – One Employment Solution (OES)
Website Address – www.oesworld.com

Site description
OES provide recruitment services for public and private healthcare throughout the UK, specialising in nursing positions for qualified overseas staff.  Their website provides comprehensive information, vacancies and news for candidates and clients.

Creative Design
The site is pleasing on the eye, using appropriate blues and greens, but uses two rather annoying scrolling boxes offering vacancies and news, which tend to draw the eye to the centre of the page, where most of the relevant information is to be found. There is consistent navigation throughout.

Ease of use
Generally the site works well for the user, with a logical menu and sub menus appearing consistently where appropriate.  Popup windows will cause problems for users with blocking software however, rendering parts of the site inoperable.

Relevant content
This site provides comprehensive and informative copy for its users, particularly candidates where a useful guide offers advice on all aspects of living in the UK, from travel, accommodation and entertainment to advice about the ‘morning after’ pill! Those working outside London might feel a little left out however, as the focus is purely on the capital.

Candidate and client functionality
Both Candidates and Clients are well catered for, with a range of functions to simplify the recruitment process; the OES CV Builder is particularly comprehensive, with a copy of the CV emailed to the candidate. OES cite themselves as being very concerned about security. Unfortunately the CV Builder allows insecure form posting for all personal data, which in turn generates an insecure email containing a Rich Text File

Clients are able to search using the ‘Nursearch’ facility to obtain a list of potential candidates for their vacancy requirements. However these are not kept up to date, which could be off-putting for a client.

Candidate and client marketing and retention
Newsletters keep both Candidates and Clients up to date with news from OES – this is a republishing service, providing weekly updates, using stories from the BBC and other newsfeeds.  It is worrying to note that OES operate an opt-out only policy for their newsletter, which is automatically emailed to applicants on registration, and from which they must unsubscribe themselves if it is not required.  The ‘Tell a Friend’ facility provides a good means of self-marketing, and a good selection of links provide compelling reasons to revisit the site.

Online marketing
At the time of writing, the OES site had 214 inbound links (according to Alexa) It has been comprehensively marketed internationally, so that a Google search on their prime keywords ‘Nursing jobs London’ shows them in position one – this is the way, in my opinion, all sites should work!

Summary
This is a well conceived and executed site, providing a good balance of information and interactivity for all user types. It is let down by a number of aspects which, if collectively addressed, would propel OES into the number one online recruitment site for UK nurses.

Hugo Pickering runs a corporate communications consultancy specialising in online recruitment communications and recently set up Online Recruiter, providing web services to recruitment businesses. Contact Hugo at h@hugopickering.com or see Online Recruiter at www.onlinerecruiter.co.uk

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So what are you waiting for? Post a Job now at www.monster.co.uk

Article Two: What is Intelligent Talent Management? by Jeff Holmen

Jeff Holmen explores the subject of Intelligent Talent Management in this article.

Intelligent Talent Management is a proactive process where your organisation recruits and retains the highest quality employee at the lowest cost. This process is about building relationships with job candidates (internally & externally) who best meet the Human Capital requirements tied to your organisational goals and strategies. Intelligent Talent Management is proven to lead to higher productivity rates, as well as significant increases in brand awareness and employee moral.

Global organizations like Allianz, BP, Roche, Reuters, and FedEx have adopted Talent Management principles which go beyond the common features and functionality offered in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). A fully functional ATS is an important element. However, if your organisation is looking to hire the most qualified people and build relationships with segments of the workplace population where there is (or will be) a proven massive gap of workers with specific skills, then you need to consider adopting Intelligent Talent Management philosophies as soon as possible. Following are some of the most important elements of Intelligent Talent Management:

* Candidate relationship management
* Candidate marketing
* Sourcing for passive candidates
* Talent Community building
* Job specific qualification 
* Process Control
  * Multi-level approvals
  * Customised workflow
  * Standardized letters
  * Internal communication
* Accurate metrics across the complete Talent Management process

Across all of these elements, the candidate experience is also a major key to success. If it takes several weeks for a candidate to hear from you, what type of image does the candidate have of your organisation? If a candidate receives impersonal messages, which aren’t related to the applied for position, what type of image does the candidate have of your organization? What if they don’t hear from you at all?

When the job candidate is served with relevant information to their individual wants, needs, and desires with your organisation, a much more positive image of your brand is portrayed.

If, through your organisations careers website, the candidate is provided an option to leave a short profile of themselves (not a lengthy application form), you will gain the ability to build a larger, profile-based Talent Community. If the candidate is also provided an option to remain anonymous, you will gain many more highly qualified passive candidates in your Talent Community. You will gain the ability to conduct specific candidate marketing campaigns to specific profiles in your Talent Community. Let’s assume your employment plan has you hiring 100 SAP engineers starting six months from now. By building a larger, more qualified Talent Community from your careers website you can “sell” your organization to SAP engineers before you actually need to hire them. When it is time to bring them on board, you can reach into your Talent Community quickly, and forward the most qualified SAP engineers into the interview process. This proactive approach allows you to own relationships with the highest quality candidates and minimize your expenditure on recruitment media and agencies. 

Jeff Holmen is based in Amsterdam and is European Sales Manager for Hire.com. Jeff has over 18 years experience in sales and business development of data management solutions of which 5 years have been devoted to the introduction of e-Recruiting solutions to global organizations. +31.653.844.465 or jholmen@hire.com

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WANT TO RUN PSYCHOMETRIC OR APTITUDE TESTS?

We can: 
* Determine which psychometric and aptitude tests are most appropriate for your needs
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* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Don't Miss This

CV Library Competition Winner
Vicky Cohen of Liberty Consulting Ltd won July's CV Library competition.  On the 25th August we'll be giving details of how to enter the next competition where you could win 3 month's access to CV Library's candidate database.

New article topics - feedback from our subscribers
Thank you to everyone who's been sending feedback in recent weeks.  I thought I would publish a couple of the comments and see if anyone can help with them.  "one of my clients recently rejected my Terms of Business for being too long....they are on 10 pages and the mandatory section takes up 4 pages...." - if anyone is interested in writing an article giving advice on producing terms of business please let me know.  Another reader said "I would like to see an article on the States' current methodologies/ new features regarding job boards" - if you can help with this one please let me know.

25th August, 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Telephone Skills Course, Central London 
This one day course is specifically designed to rapidly improve your ability to use the telephone with success and confidence. This course normally costs £197 + VAT, however, ukrecruiter subscribers can get a 10% discount if they quote "ukrec/et/07". If you "Bring a Friend" he or she can attend the course for £137 + VAT. For further details visit http://www.recruitmentmatters.com or contact Emma Thorpe (0800 0749289 or info@recruitmentmatters.com).

3rd - 5th September, Intensive coaching and personal discovery weekend, Mount Snowdon
How much more successful would you be if you knew you could achieve anything? Join Peter Freeth and Clay Lowe for a weekend of intensive coaching and personal discovery to climb Mount Snowdon and gain the insights and resources you need to achieve your ambitions - see www.ciauk.com/ascent for details. They begin with work on your values and goals, then climb the mountain, using it as a metaphor for achieving those goals. "By the end of the weekend, you will know everything you need to know about yourself to achieve the most important goals in your life and business." The usual rate for the weekend is £900, ukrecruiter readers get a 20% discount, and will be eligible for the Partner Program where you get a 20% discount for referrals. Call 0870 1620802 or email peter@ciauk.com

29th September 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
I know it's nearly two months away - but why not put our next event in your diary.  Come along to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. It'll be at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Fees when a role falls through", "Help needed to hire "UK shoppers" in US", and "Cold calling register". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

CONTENTS

• CV Blunders
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Website review - Adecco by John Harrup)
• Article Two (Using NLP to Build Better Relationships by Peter Freeth)
• Don't Miss This (Do you want to review "IT Demystified - the book" for ukrecruiter? - More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander Associates - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

"CV Blunders" - supplied by www.CareersinRecruitment.com

In an occasional feature, provided by Careers In Recruitment, these are actual entries on either CV's or covering letters:

"I am very detail-oreinted." 

"I can play well with others."

"Special skills: I've got a Ph.D. in human feelings." 

"I saw your ad on the information highway, and I came to a screeching halt." 

"Please disregard the attached resume -- it is terribly out of date."

"My Favourites" will be back soon - 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: Recruitment Consultancy Website Review - Adecco by John Harrup

Company Name – Adecco
Website Address – www.adecco.co.uk

Site description
Adecco claim to be the world’s No. 1 employment services company with 6000 offices worldwide. In the UK and Ireland Adecco have a network of over 300 branches. They have 1,350 employees supplying over 30,000 temporary associates every day. Their site allows for both employees and employers to search for relevant information and jobs.

Creative design
The site design is clear and interesting, through the use of different scrolling images. It is very clear to see how to navigate the site as a result of the drop down menus. I feel, however, they maybe could have been more creative and given the site a stronger design platform. As the website is, for many, their only dealings with your company it is important to portray your professional company image in the way the site is designed. It is clear that Adecco offer a huge amount of information and are highly skilled in their line of work, however, this could also have been expressed through their site design.

Ease of use
Navigating through the site is simple to do and offers an ease of use that would help to retain site visitors. On the Adecco homepage you are driven towards the search facility where you can either carry out a quick search or a more detailed, advanced search. 

Relevant content
The site, apart from the obvious current job information and relevant details, also contains useful general information for both candidates and clients. For example employees are offered advice on constructing a better CV and interview techniques. Employers are able to find out answers to the questions that they would need to ask, without having to enter a branch. This means that when they enter a branch their time need not be spent finding out this information.

Candidate and client functionality
The menu system on the homepage allows candidates and clients to be split and go to separate pages to find out information relevant to them. If they wish to find contact details for their local branch there are search facilities located at the bottom of each page. This makes the site not seem pushy and people feel free to find out information at their own pace and contact Adecco when they want to. 

Candidate and client marketing and retention
Both candidates and clients can register on the site and then login upon returning. By doing this all previous searches and relevant information obtained will be saved to their personal login. This results in users being more likely to return to the site to hunt for specific jobs or opportunities that have been recently updated. 

Online marketing
Locating the Adecco site was extremely easy with both the UK and worldwide site near the top of the page when searched for by using the most popular search engines. This ensures the maximum number of hits to the site, which is positive for prospective employers who want their current vacancy viewed by the largest number of people possible.

Summary 
To conclude, I feel that the Adecco site offers a compete solution to meet both candidates and clients needs and expectations. Not only does the site include the latest job vacancies, but also offers a vast amount of employment related information that can be used by employees and employers alike.

John Harrup is a Marketing Executive for Red Ant, "a professional web design company, offering high-quality accessible websites and development services to clients throughout the UK". You can contact him directly at john@redantdesign.com or 01622 664333, alternatively see their products and services at www.redantdesign.com 

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Monster’s Post a Job is straightforward to set up – just a few minutes online is all it takes - if you pay by credit card, you could be receiving CVs within a couple of hours. At only £300 for up to 60 days online, it’s extremely cost-effective.

So what are you waiting for? Post a Job now at www.monster.co.uk

Article Two: Using NLP to Build Better Relationships by Peter Freeth

In this series of articles, Peter Freeth is exploring the many ways that recruiters can use the techniques and principles of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to achieve better results, more consistently.

Are you the kind of person who naturally sets yourself goals and targets? If so, you may already realise a very important thing about success. You tend to get what you want if you know what you want.

That might sound obvious, but just for today, pay attention to how often the people around you say what they don’t want. “Do you want to go out for lunch?” … “Well, I don’t want to be too long”. How about “OK, and I need to be back at 1:30”. Much more useful!

How about getting a decorator to paint your living room “not blue”? Your brain is an analogue computer, which means that there are no opposites or negatives. What is the opposite of black? What about the opposite of tomorrow? The opposite of a zebra? The opposite of Wednesday?

You get the idea. So, what other important things can we bear in mind when setting goals? Well, it really helps if the goal is actually something that you can achieve. I don’t mean something like climbing a mountain, I mean something that is under your direct control. Getting a job is not under the candidate’s control, because it involves the client making a decision. How could you rephrase that goal so that it is more controllable? How about “to get the skills I need to be considered for that job”. So if a goal is not entirely under your control, you need to refine the goal so you can exert as much influence as possible. If you don’t, you will waste time and energy on something you cannot influence.

Next, we have to convert the goal into brain language – something that is directly represented in your senses. Let’s say you want to be a millionaire before you’re 40. You might think that is really specific but it’s actually quite vague in terms of something your brain can get to grips with. What does a million pounds look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like? And when is ‘before 40?’ Next week? Next year?

What will hitting your target look like? What will you see? What will you hear? And what will you feel? You might even taste or smell something. For example, you might see yourself looking at your results, hear your clients and candidates sounding happy and feel a sense of achievement. Whilst you might think that sounds vague, it is something that your brain can understand and you be more likely to achieve it. If you are used to setting yourself SMART objectives, then the combination of the two will be irresistible.

Finally, we have to make sure your goal has no unpleasant side effects. Often, people think about something they want but fail to take into account the consequences of achieving it. Whilst they don’t think about the consequences consciously, they are very aware of them at an unconscious level and the person will sabotage their own attempts to achieve the goal. For example, imagine you have a candidate who wants to get a promotion. They are driven by the desire for more money or recognition, but they always seem to trip themselves up at interview. You might find that they are not considering the extra responsibility and pressure that can come with promotion, and until they resolve that they will prevent themselves from succeeding in order to protect their unconscious needs.

If we take all of these 4 criteria together, we end up with a principle known as Well Formed Outcomes. When a goal is positive, under your control, based in sensory experience and congruent, you are very likely to achieve it, even more easily than you could have imagined. Just pick something simple like running an errand at lunchtime or doing some admin work and think of it as a well formed goal, and you might surprise yourself with how easy it becomes. Then you can move onto more interesting goals like your second million or your other house in the Bahamas.

One final tip: write your goal down, and tell other people about it. You will find that it takes on a life of its own and grows beyond even your wildest dreams. But always remember to be careful what you wish for…you might enjoy it too much!

Next month we’ll be looking at how you can use language, creatively and persuasively.

Peter Freeth is Director of Communications In Action. As a leading business coach, Peter helps people, teams and organisations get better results, faster. For more information - http://www.ciauk.com, peter@ciauk.com or phone:0870 1620802

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Re-launching on 15th - 17th September 2004 
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Don't Miss This

Do you want to review "IT Demystified - the book" for ukrecruiter? 
"IT Demystified is the IT handbook for business professionals". The purpose of the book is to deliver the information IT recruitment consultants need to understand and influence IT related matters in a plain English and entertaining style. You can find more information (and read chapter one for free) at www.auridian.com/details/HTML/book.htm. If you are interested in getting a free copy of the book to review for ukrecruiter newsletter send me an email.  

More than 15% off 15-17 September's Induction Course from Lander Associates
Lander Associates are offering ukrecruiter subscribers an exclusive rate for their three-day induction programme. Normally costing £895 per person, ukrecruiter subscribers can book for just £750 per person. Places are limited.  Call 01582 791838 or email info@landerassociates.co.uk quoting reference ukrec.

29th September 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
I know it's nearly two months away - but why not put our next event in your diary.  Come along to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. It'll be at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Unethical recruiters", "New ToB 2003 act/ Schedule/ legislation" and "Gate keepers". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 31st July 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentreplus.gov.uk, Jobsite.co.uk, Totaljobs.co.uk, Reed.co.uk, Fish4.co.uk/jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve.co.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk, prospects.ac.uk and Workthing.com. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Elle Pitts from BRMS Recruitment)
• Article One (Niche Job Board Review - Grapevinejobs by Russ Murch)
• Article Two (Too Drunk to Remember by Louise Fernandes)
• Don't Miss This (Win CV Database access worth £200+ - 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Telephone Skills Course - Complete OS2i Survey and win a Resourcer for two weeks - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

http://www.acronymfinder.com - 357,000 acronyms and abbreviations. Type in the acronym and a list of options are shown. If you know there is an acronym but can't remember it you can type in keywords for a list of possible acronyms.

http://www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml - with over 180 currencies in over 250 geographical locations this should be the only site you need to convert currency. 

http://uk.weather.com - 10 day weather forecasting site. Type in your postcode or town and see a forecast for the next 10 days. Gives you a pictorial representation of weather, description (eg, mostly cloudy) and daytime/nighttime temperatures. Can also view an hour by hour forecast.

Elle Pits is a Consultant at BRMS Recruitment.  

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

Recruiters make your life simple - refer your contractors, temps & freelancers to Prosperity4 

Prosperity4 is the UK's fastest growing umbrella company offering a professional service for your contractors to work through. Working with over 4000 agencies in the UK we can turn around your contract in a day. Contractors simply submit their timesheets and expenses and we do the rest. It couldn't be simpler. 

Contact Vicky on 01582 466451 or email vicky.osler@prosperity4.com or refer online today www.prosperity4.com/referacontractor.asp

This month I have been speaking with Gary Hodes from Grapevinejobs (www.grapevinejobs.co.uk)

RM: Gary, who are your target audience?

GH: grapevinejobs is targeted at individuals already working in and around broadcast, film & music in the UK.

RM: Where does the name come from?

GH: Most jobs in the broadcast, film & music sectors are traditionally filled by word-of-mouth - hence the name of our site. 

RM: What was the inspiration behind the site?

GH: The need for a cost-effective online recruitment advertising medium was obvious as the two traditional main recruitment advertisers operated a virtual duopoly with sky-high advertising rates. We've achieved our objective of breaking this duopoly by offering a quality service at reasonable rates.

RM: Do you feel that the site has been a success with jobseekers ?

GH: Yes very much so. We have 37,000 registered jobseekers, of whom 27,000 + have also signed up for our email Job Alert service.  We get around 1,250 unique visitors every business day, 4,500 per week, and 16,000 per month.

RM: What do you feel could be added to the site to make it better?

GH: We have no great plans for change (we are what we are......). The only development in process is the facility to have a small number of "featured jobs" each week. Our main efforts are now going into making more employers aware of the site and getting them to test it, free

RM summary: 
The site is exactly what it claims to be ‘A Jobsite’. There are no real bells and whistles, which I think makes it an attractive option as you do not get bogged down with trivia and it lets you get on with what you want to do. The navigation is very straight forward and intuitive making things very easy for both clients and candidates. 

There is a big emphasis on quality not quantity and as a niche job site I think this adds further to the appeal. I suspect this is why the site has been so successful in the sectors it serves.  One thing that lets the site down for me is that I would expect it be a little more ‘Hollywood’ because I associate the industry with glamour and style

Over all I think it’s a good site serving a niche market very well and all the functionality you would want is there without going into overkill.  RM star rating of 3 out of 5.

Russell Murch is a director of RPM Solutions (UK) Limited. RPM Solutions offer an extensive range of web services from design packages to full web site builds and management all year round. For more information visit http://www.rpm-solutions.co.uk/

Next month Russell will feature http://www.getalife.org.uk

WANT TO RUN PSYCHOMETRIC OR APTITUDE TESTS?

We can: 
* Determine which psychometric and aptitude tests are most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the tests either via the internet or face to face at your premises
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Being too drunk to remember is often used as a reason to excuse the events of the night before. However, a recent story has hit the headlines, showing that it can prove particularly costly to mix recruitment or employment matters with excessive alcohol. 

A city broker is currently being sued for pulling out of an employment contract after he claimed he was too drunk to remember signing it. The broker has argued that he was clearly under the influence when he signed the contract and the terms of it are therefore unenforceable. However, this is not how his future employers have seen it. They have clearly stated that people should honour the contracts they sign and are suing the broker on the basis of his withdrawal from their agreement. 

The legal position surrounding the offer and acceptance of a contract has been explored in an earlier article. Once an offer has been accepted, provided that offer is supported by some form of consideration (for example, the employee is to work in return for payment of a salary) and there is an intention to create legal relations, a contract is formed. Any condition or term relating to that employment becomes formally binding. Both employer and employee will be in extreme difficulties in withdrawing their offer or acceptance after that contract is formed. 

However, the broker may have a valid excuse to withdraw his acceptance. The fact that he was drunk when he entered into the contract could be enough to prove that the terms of the contract are unenforceable. Courts have found that a contract is voidable in such circumstances. Relief has been granted if the allegedly drunk person can show that their condition was clearly known to the other party at the time the contract was made, or unfair advantage was taken of them. 

In this case, the broker clearly considers that he was under the influence and his future employers knew that. If he could prove this, he may be successful in defending an action for breach of contract. However, it is also possible that the broker could be liable under the contract if he ratified it after becoming sober. If, therefore, he affirmed the contract in the cold light of day, his position is substantially weaker. 

You may have worked hard to place an individual and may want to celebrate this in style and crack open a bottle of bubbly. However, both recruiters and employers will clearly be better off if they can ensure the new recruit signs on the dotted line whilst stone cold sober. It is simply not worth your while finding yourself facing the same situation as the future employers of the broker. The loss for a recruiter may be substantial, both in terms of cost and reputation within the market, and you and the employer may have to suffer more than the effects of a hangover the next morning! 

This article was first published in hrlaw, a fortnightly online employment law update provided by Fox Williams, which can be accessed at www.hrlaw.co.uk.  Louise Fernandes specialises in employment law at Fox Williams and can be contacted for further information at lfernandes@foxwilliams.com 

Fill your vacancies fast with Monster’s Post a Job. It gives quick and easy access to over 1.5 million candidates from the UK’s leading recruitment website, and offers unlimited space to sell your job.

Monster’s Post a Job is straightforward to set up – just a few minutes online is all it takes - if you pay by credit card, you could be receiving CVs within a couple of hours. At only £300 for up to 60 days online, it’s extremely cost-effective.

So what are you waiting for? Post a Job now at www.monster.co.uk

TOMORROW: 29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
This month's networking event is tomorrow; Thursday 29th July!  I won't be there this month unfortunately, but Marc Jones of RecruitmentJOBZ will be holding the fort!
It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm.   Details at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

Win CV Database access worth £200+
Win 3 months free access to over 170,000 CV's and branded unlimited vacancy posting worth over £200. CV-Library are making this generous offer only to ukrecruiter subscribers. The "winner" will be chosen at random at midday Friday 30th July. To win visit http://www.cv-library.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukr_comp.cgi.

12th or 25th August, 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Telephone Skills Course, Manchester & Central London 
This one day course is specifically designed to rapidly improve your ability to use the telephone with success and confidence. This course normally costs £197 + VAT, however, ukrecruiter subscribers can get a 10% discount if they quote "ukrec/et/07". If you "Bring a Friend" he or she can attend the course for £137 + VAT. For further details visit http://www.recruitmentmatters.com  or contact Emma Thorpe (0800 0749289 or info@recruitmentmatters.com).

Complete OS2i Survey and win a Resourcer for two weeks 
OS2i, in conjunction with ukrecruiter, are running a survey and would like UK Recruiters from either a Corporate or Agency background to participate. The aim of the survey is to collect data from a broad cross section of the industry to better understand any trends within the recruitment process, use of candidate generation tools/techniques and outsourcing. To encourage participation OS2i will give one lucky survey taker a FREE Resourcer for two weeks. To complete the survey visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=62797539477. For more information on OS2i visit www.os2i.co.uk. We will publish an overview of the results in a future issue of the newsletter.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "databases" and "I'm sorry, but you smell". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 24th July 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentreplus.gov.uk, Jobsite.co.uk, Totaljobs.co.uk, Reed.co.uk, Fish4.co.uk/jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve.co.uk, prospects.ac.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk and Workthing.com. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (John Morley of Dart Services)
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Website Review: Select Appointments by John Harrup)
• Article Two (Landing Major Accounts by Gaynor Lowndes)
• Don't Miss This (10% discount on Head Hunting course - Coaching and Personal Discovery Weekend, Mount Snowdon - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise - AllJobsUK)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://www.tagish.co.uk - Tagish provides a huge list of links for local government, central government departments, hospitals, UK Universities and Colleges, etc.

http://www.royalmail.com  - Quick lookup for postal rates if you want to post a heavy packet or if you are posting overseas. There is also a useful and free postcode/address finder facility - you can even find a postcode if all you know is the number of the house and the street (even if you're not sure which town it's in!).

http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk  - The Newspaper Society represents the interests of over 1300 newspapers and magazines. Lots of useful information for anyone with PR or vacancy advertising needs. Can search, for free, for publications alphabetically or geographically.

Submitted by John Morley of Dart Services.

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

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You can also view further information on HotLizard products and services at http://www.hotlizard.net

Article One: Recruitment Consultancy Website Review: Select Appointments by John Harrup

Company Name – Select Appointments
Website Address – www.select.co.uk

Site description
Select Appointments were established in 1980 and have developed a network of offices throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The site allows for candidates to search for employment and for employers to advertise their current job vacancies on the site. Select Appointments are specialists in all areas of secretarial and administration, call and contact centre, accountancy and finance, sales and marketing, retail, legal, medical and travel and leisure recruitment.

Creative design
The design of the site is colourful and aesthetically pleasing. Each colour on the site corresponds to a particular menu section and there are also different colours that relate to specific job sectors. The large menu buttons on the website ensure good usability. However, the site does not seem to offer sufficient accessibility for people with a range of disabilities (such as those who are visually impaired).

Ease of use
Navigating through the site is one of the best features of the Select Appointments site as the clear menu system results in easily found content. All search facilities are efficiently carried out and highlight the most important results relevant to your search.

Relevant content
Following an explanation of the background to Select Appointments there follows a detailed search facility. This allows for searches to be carried out by location, office, or job vacancy. Once you have found the vacancy or Select Appointments office that you are interested in, there is a description and contact details for further communication. Each vacancy also allows you to submit your CV if you feel you would like to be considered for that particular position. The site also has scrolling logos of the larger corporations that they have strong links with. These companies are constantly advertising for a range of vacancies in various locations throughout the country. 

Candidate and client functionality
The candidate and client areas are split to allow specific content. Candidates are encouraged to submit their CV to Select Appointments and prospective employers are constantly encouraged to contact their local offices to gain further information. 

Candidate and client marketing and retention
The information on the site appears to be constantly updated and relevant. This ensures candidates are receiving the most up to date job vacancy information. This results in candidates being more likely to revisit the site and use it as their first step when searching for work over the Internet.

Online marketing
Finding the Select Appointments website is easy due to their excellent placement on the most popular search engines. This ensures the maximum number of hits which is good news for clients who wish to have their vacancy viewed by the highest number of candidates possible. 

Summary 
To conclude, I feel that the Select Appointments website is an excellent place for candidates to find work and for clients to find prospective employees. The site’s ease of navigation and constantly updated and relevant content ensures revisits and the simple way in which a vacancy is posted is also beneficial for the company. 

John Harrup is a Marketing Executive for Red Ant Design, a professional web design company, offering high-quality accessible websites and development services to clients throughout the UK. You can contact him directly at john@redantdesign.com or 01622 664333, alternatively see their products and services at www.redantdesign.com 

Advertisement

Do you want to advertise here?

The ukrecruiter newsletter goes out to over 15,000 recruitment professionals in the UK. What better place could you advertise?

For information email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or call 01635 254881

Article Two: Landing Major Accounts by Gaynor Lowndes

A major account is any account that has recruitment spend over 100,000 pounds per year, whether or not they are spending it with you.

I believe that any recruitment organisation can win major business. It has nothing to do with brand or size. It has a great deal to do with the solution you are providing. The key to coming up with a suitable solution is to focus on what the client organisation will look like 5 years from now. You have to understand their vision and mission and be able to enhance their corporate goals by providing your particular solution.

I sold over 50 million Australian Dollars (£20 million GBP) worth of business in my first eight months in a major sales role with Adecco in Australia. My formula for success was based on reading many books, so what was my plan of attack?

• Identify your specific sales objective for this sale.

• Start the relationship in order to get an invitation to tender

• Gather information and identify relevant influencers

• Develop a relationship with senior people in the organisation with the aim of by-passing the tender process

Identify the steps that need to be completed in order to ensure that your specific sales objective is reached.

Firstly, identify what needs to be done this quarter

Secondly, identify what needs to be done this month

Thirdly, this week. Make sure you “touch” each account each week in some form or other.

1. Analyse your current position with respect to your specific sales objective

2. Think through possible alternative positions. Examine what other ways you might approach the sale

3. Determine which alternative position would best secure your objective and devise an action plan to achieve it

4. Implement your action plan

5. Constant review, feedback, re-assessment

Remember that a major sale takes considerably longer than a traditional relationship sale. I have won many major accounts by taking the above structured approach. Remember though, take small steps and be persistent. One of my most successful sales was a major bank. From initial contact it took nine months of working the account in some form every week before we won it.

In this type of sale, the decision is rarely made by one individual. Therefore you must understand the requirements of each member of the decision making process. When you prepare a solution, you must take into account every buying influence and their needs.  Buying influences include the person who signs the contract, the line manager(s), Procurement or HR, etc.

Review the sale each week:

• Where do I stand with each person right now?

• Have I identified all the key people involved in this sale?

• Have I covered the bases with every one of those key people?

Tips for success:

1. Plan your strategy

2. There is no luck involved in the strategic sale

3. Take the time to understand your prospects

4. Review your sales strategies regularly

5. Constantly re-assess your understanding of your client’s needs and your Client’s business

6. Demonstrate an interest in their affairs

7. Bring your clients solutions and new ideas

Gaynor Lowndes, the Managing Director of The Recruitment Training Company has over 17 years recruitment experience, gained in Australia and the UK. The Recruitment Training Company provides training and consulting services to the recruitment industry in Australia and New Zealand. For more information visit www.trtc.com.au

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Want to use personality questionnaires? 

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Don't Miss This

28th July or 25th August, 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Head Hunting Course, Bristol & Central London 
This one day participative course is suitable for consultants wishing to add head-hunting to their skill set or for experienced search consultants wishing to formalise their knowledge. This course normally costs £275 + VAT, however, ukrecruiter subscribers can get a 10% discount if they quote "ukrec/et/07". If you "Bring a Friend" he or she can attend the course for £175 + VAT. For further details visit http://www.recruitmentmatters.com  or contact Emma Thorpe (0800 0749289 or info@recruitmentmatters.com).

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
This month's networking event is on Thursday 29th July - next Thursday - put it in your diary now!  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

3rd - 5th September, Intensive coaching and personal discovery weekend, Mount Snowdon
How much more successful would you be if you knew you could achieve anything? Join Peter Freeth and Clay Lowe for a weekend of intensive coaching and personal discovery to climb Mount Snowdon and gain the insights and resources you need to achieve your ambitions - see www.ciauk.com/ascent for details. They begin with work on your values and goals, then climb the mountain, using it as a metaphor for achieving those goals. "By the end of the weekend, you will know everything you need to know about yourself to achieve the most important goals in your life and business." The usual rate for the weekend is £900, ukrecruiter readers get a 20% discount, and will be eligible for the Partner Program where you get a 20% discount for referrals. Call 0870 1620802 or email peter@ciauk.com

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "fees when role falls through", "Stuck in a Rut" and "Referrals". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 17th July 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, WorkThing, Prospects Web and Guardian Unlimited Jobs. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Online Job Index, AllJobsUK.com, 13th July 2004
The AlljobsUK.com Online Recruitment Index shows a total of 543,596 vacancies across the sites that it tracks.  This is down 48,362 from last week.   If you want more information about how these figures are compiled visit  http://www.alljobsuk.com

CONTENTS

• "Charity of the Month" (new feature)
• Article One (Job Board Review - Workthing by Wave Advertising)
• Article Two (Add Value to the Recruiting Process by Vince Mayers)
• Don't Miss This (Complete OS2i Survey and win a Resourcer for two weeks  - CIPD Annual Conference & Exhibition - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

Nikki de Gorrequer-Griffith of Grifco Recruitment is putting together a book of CV howlers and excuses/reasons for candidates not turning up to temporary assignments, interviews etc. Nikki's son has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (his story is here) and the book will be published in aid of the Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. If you want more information about Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or the Trust, you can visit http://www.jtsma.org.uk If you want to contribute to the book please contact Nikki via nikki@grifco.co.uk.

Here are a few CV howlers from the book:

'I was formally assessed as an "Alien of Extraordinary Ability" while working in California'.

'As you can CLEARLY see above, I've achieved EVERYTHING there was to achieve education-wise and academically. (very BASIC skills for ANYONE with a Masters Degree or PhD)'

'I am also in the Guinness Book of Records for being the World's Tallest Boy Scout'

'Work Experience: 1993 - Babysitting; 1994 - Babysitting; 1997/8 - Babysitting'

'I can't and won't fill in your form - I shall deal with the other thirty seven other employment agencies that have been working for me.' (My comment - really!)

If you'd like us to mention a charity you are involved in please send details of your involvement (sponsored run/walk, etc) and a paragraph about the charity. 

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

Free trial on utilityjobsearch.com
Utilityjobsearch.com is a new job site dedicated to the requirements of recruiters and candidates who work in the UK utilities industry. The specialist site covers the power, water and telecoms sectors. The website has already logged over 2500 candidate registrations in its first 4 weeks. 

A free trial is available to recruiters for a limited period. Click here and register your details or send an email to trial@utilityjobsearch.com 

url: http://www.workthing.com

Key stats. (From January 04)
Unique users: 644,303 per month
Visits: 1.3 million
Page impressions: 7.5m

Most advertised roles/industry sectors (in descending order):  IT, Marketing/ PR/ Customer relations, Consulting/ Strategy/ Research, Management, Sales/ Purchasing, Admin/ Secretarial, Engineering, Accounting, Banking, Customer service, HR/ Training and Catering

What the site says
Workthing owns www.workthing.com, a leading UK job and advice site, and PeopleBank, a technology solution that powers the corporate careers services of major blue-chip companies such as Tesco, Arcadia and Nestle.

First impressions
Quick loading page with the adage 'Find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life' (a bit cheesy I thought…..). I think some web/graphic designers may look at the front page feeling that it is cluttered and unorganised. However, seeing as most job seekers aren't designers perhaps it doesn't matter. There are quick search options, and drop down menus, meaning a jobs search can be conducted immediately and also other job seeking resources can be selected.

Tools on offer for Candidates
Good level of information available to candidates, accessed from the home page. The articles are light hearted and easy to read, as well as being useful and interesting. There are a wide range of CV writing services which are all charged services (prices are shown on the site). These include Career Consultation, CV Checker and Cover letter writing advice. Email alerts and the ability to register on the CV database are possible although this is a little fiddly.

Tools on offer for Recruiters
The usual branding options apply, with job information and company profiles readily available to promote the company. Targeted branding is available through the industry sectors. Workthing was one of the first sites to introduce the targeted branded email. These are personalised emails sent to specific candidates who are registered on the site. They have proved both successful and popular. A CV database is available, although it is limited in its use due to the poor search functionality and lack of candidate management tools. 

Strengths for Candidates
Site is simple and easy to navigate to look for jobs 
Lots of related information to read
Information on the client company can be linked to directly from the vacancy

Weaknesses for Candidates
The search and results page is rather ugly!  
CV register page is a little fiddly to load up 
Even using broadband the site is sometimes quite slow

Strengths for Recruiters
Excellent brand name with strong backing and marketing - owned by Guardian Media Group
Email targeting enables recruiters to target specific candidates
The simple searching methods means that candidates are viewing more jobs

Weaknesses for Recruiters
CV database is not as functional as it should be
Slow loading

Summary
Workthing is a good solid site, with strong financial backing and a reputable brand. Good number of vacancies advertised mean that candidates can normally find suitable positions, and whilst they do not receive the highest number of unique users the application ratio is quite good. The site is kept simple by concentrating on the advertising of jobs and getting candidates to those jobs. This is an advantage as other sites can sometimes overcomplicate the issue of getting candidates to the job adverts.

David Jenkins is the Account Director of Wave Advertising, specialising in online recruitment solutions. 'Wave Advertising provide Efficient and Effective Recruitment Solutions' David can be contacted on 01189 589 200 or david@waveadvertising.co.uk if you have any queries with regards to online recruitment.

Professional Online Solutions for the Recruitment and Staffing sector
HotLizard is the premier supplier to the recruitment industry for online recruitment software and excellence in recruitment web site design, development and marketing. 

For more information, please contact Adele Poole, on 01635 527900 or email adele.poole@hotlizard.net.

You can also view further information on HotLizard products and services at http://www.hotlizard.net

For most technology recruiting firms, the late 90’s were viewed as halcyon days. Business was abundant, bill rates were high and candidates were in short supply. A negative effect of this was that the recruiting business became much more “commoditised”, and customer service suffered. Recruiting is a customer service industry not a commodity business. People drive business not CVs! Candidates must have certain core technical competencies and experience to fulfill the role but ultimately interpersonal qualities make the difference between growing and succeeding in, not only an organization, but also in a career.

In order for a recruiting company to add the most value, recruiters must provide expertise in selecting a candidate that matches not only the technical requirements, but also the company’s internal team dynamics. 

Well respected recruiting companies model their business process to provide a service to the candidates for the jobs as well as their clients; and follow a recruiting process which includes quality assurance for both parties. A few simple example are outlined below.

During the recruiting process, it is imperative that the recruiter meet the candidate in person prior to discussing their details with the client. 

Once both parties are confident that the position is a good career move for the candidate, the submission to the client is more of a “…this is the person that you should interview and here are the reasons why…” not “…what do you think of the CV?”

Above and beyond process guidelines, it is good manners to meet the candidate at the interview a few minutes early. We are all adults, however many first impressions have been enhanced by a discreet “perhaps you should buff your shoes/straighten your tie/leave the funky jacket in the car…”

Continuous communication during the recruiting process with the candidate is key to establishing a long lasting relationship as well as confidence in both the recruiter and the client. Again, candidates placed as contractors or Full Time Employees (FTEs) by recruiters are their clients, not a commodity. 

As recruiters we need to be aware that whether the roles we are trying to fill are on a contract or full time employee basis, we are responsible for people’s careers. Candidates trust us to help them into positions that are career and goal enhancing; to set them up for success. If the fee is the main driver then in the long run no one succeeds. Good recruiters are cognisant of this, doing the right thing for the client (candidate and employer) may have a negative effect on fee income in the very short term but pays dividends in the long term by building a stronger brand.

Lastly, recruiters should never forget that their job starts when a candidate is placed.

Vince is responsible for developing the Consultant Recruiting Practice at Anteo Group.  Prior to this Vince was the Director of Business Development for E-People UK Ltd, a London-based full service software consultancy. Previously, Vince spent 6 years with a leading European staffing company in Holland, Belgium and the UK, leading their Financial Services practice. 

Want to use personality questionnaires? 

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Complete OS2i Survey and win a Resourcer for two weeks 
OS2i, in conjunction with ukrecruiter, are running a survey and would like UK Recruiters from either a Corporate or Agency background to participate. The aim of the survey is to collect data from a broad cross section of the industry to better understand any trends within the recruitment process, use of candidate generation tools/techniques and outsourcing. To encourage participation OS2i will give one lucky survey taker a FREE Resourcer for two weeks. To complete the survey visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=62797539477. For more information on OS2i (the world largest offshore - Indian - Recruitment Process Outsourcing company) visit www.os2i.co.uk. We will publish an overview of the results in a future issue of the newsletter.

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
This month's networking event is on Thursday 29th July - put it in your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

27th - 29th October 2004, CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition, Harrogate, Yorkshire
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development's Annual Conference & Exhibition is the "event of the year" for people management and development professionals. It's the largest event of its kind, attracting over 2,000 conference delegates and 7,000 exhibition visitors. The conference consists of more than 50 seminars over 3 days, with over 110 speakers debating the hottest issues in people management, business performance and strategic development. The exhibition will see over 350 exhibitors offeing the latest HR and personnel related products and services. Visit http://www.cipd.co.uk/cande/annual for more information and to book.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Recruitment for Dummies", "Is bringing in a Partner a good idea?" and "What fees should I charge?".  Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 10th July 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, Prospects Web UK, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and WorkThing. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Don't forget to let your colleagues know about this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe - it's completely free of charge - all they need to do to receive their own copy of the ukrecruiter newsletter is complete our simple form 

Unsubscribe

Go to http://ukrecruiter.willco.com/ and log on using your email address. Click on the link to "member details", and then "delete my account". You can also use this area of the site to change the email address the newsletter is sent to.

In Issue 171 we started a new scheme to get more feedback from you.  Each week we work through the alphabet and people whose first name begins with letter we've got to are asked to email me your comments on the newsletter: the sort of articles you like, the sort you don't read, new features you'd like to see, etc.  Don't worry if your name doesn't begin with "letter of the week" as feedback from everyone is always welcome!  

If you are interested in advertising a product, service or internet site in the newsletter please contact me by email or telephone (01635 254881).

If you want 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 the prior written agreement of louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk.

Copyright (c) 2004, UK Recruiter Ltd

CONTENTS

• CV Blunders
• Article One (Review of CIPD Annual Recruitment and Retention Conference by Emma McDonnell)
• Article Two (Using NLP to Build Better Relationships by Peter Freeth)
• Don't Miss This (Coaching and Personal Discovery Weekend, Mount Snowdon - Feedback from the "A"s - Domain Names for Sale - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise - AllJobsUK.com)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

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

In a new occasional feature, provided by Careers In Recruitment, these are actual entries on either CV's or covering letters:

"If this resume doesn't blow your hat off, then please return it in the enclosed envelope."

"You hold in your hands the CV of a truly outstanding candidate!"

"I'll starve without a job but don't feel you have to give me one." 

"Objective: To have my skills and ethics challenged on a daily basis." 

"Experience: Watered, groomed, and fed the family dog for years."

"My Favourites" will be back soon - why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm

Empower your business in 2004 with Talisman
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* Integrated Timesheet Management, Remote Timesheet Entry module & Payroll
* Integrated Document Management
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The 23rd and 24th June 2004 saw The CIPD hold their annual Recruitment and Retention Conference at Olympia. It was in close geographical proximity to the Homes and Garden Design show. However identifying the HR community from the glossy Home Counties wives was made slightly easier by the CIPD briefcases that were in evidence to hold all delegate information! This reporter saw no evidence of delegates sloping off to divine ways of improving their homes, but the question was asked.

This years’ conference saw a broad and diverse range of speakers from the public sector, industry and academia, with equally diverse impact, who were focusing on the topics, unsurprisingly, of Recruitment (Day One) and Retention (Day Two). The Recruitment day was more heavily subscribed than the Retention day, however the delegate list on the Retention Day indicated a more senior level of delegate, from which we can infer that Recruitment remains the operational focus of businesses with Retention flagging itself as a more strategic component of the HR initiative. Presumably cost was a prohibitive factor, both in terms of time and money, but it does seem a shame that the two subjects were addressed in isolation as they are surely hand in glove?

Factually, delegates emerged well equipped from sessions such as ‘Recruiting within the Law’. Whilst the case studies and anecdotes from the other sessions were interesting, there was limited new thinking or strategic learning to be had. The focus was very operational and, due to the early stages of a number of the initiatives being discussed, it was difficult to gauge what business benefit had been gained by the organisations represented. Rachel Howarth from Tesco received a warm response and stimulated many questions from the audience.

For me the best speaker of the conference was the last – Mark Ritson, Assistant Professor from LBS who spoke on ‘Employer Brand and the War for Talent’. Actually, he didn’t, he spoke about Branding and occasionally attempted to link it in to Employer Branding to satisfy what must be an unusual audience. He was hugely informative, totally engaging and knows branding backwards, which was just as well, for he had done little to actually address the subject of his presentation. Indeed, he did in fact admit that he didn’t ‘know much about employer branding’, only that he begged all involved for no more use of the all to common catchwords: ‘Innovation, Integrity and Honesty’. His talk was poorly attended, with many delegates allegedly rushing home to witness England’s defeat by Portugal, but much was to be gained from listening to him, albeit in a lateral kind of way. 

All in all, it was two days that were enjoyable and painless. Did it justify the price (from £450 for a single day) – depends on what you need, but the CIPD will have to boost their content if they want to be perceived as setting the standard for HR issues. Finally, whilst everything ran smoothly overall, the general consensus amongst the delegates was that the lunch was extremely disappointing – confusion reigned on day one, and disappointment was the overall reaction to the ‘Three Bowl Lunch’ that had to be eaten whilst standing. Many chose to opt for buying their own lunch from the canteen that at least offered the opportunity to sit. However £9.50 was a high price to pay for a measly potion of moussaka, some water and a flap jack (albeit very good).

To receive a copy of the very useful 'Recruitment, Retention and turnover 2004 - A Survey of the UK and Ireland' which was given out to all delegates visit http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/recruitmen/general/recruitretnt04.htm

Emma McDonnell is one of our "roving reporters" and a Director at Highfield Human Solutions.  Highfield specialise in Executive Recruitment across the UK and Internationally 

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Refer your contractors today & for every contractor that joins you will receive a £60 leisure voucher which can be redeemed at companies such as Airtours, Beefeater, Marriott and Saks. Start referring today for your chance to win a luxury weekend in Rome. 

Contact Vicky on 01582 466451 or email vicky.osler@prosperity4.com or refer online today  www.prosperity4.com/referacontractor.asp

In this series of articles, Peter Freeth will be exploring the many ways that recruiters can use the techniques and principles of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to achieve better results, more consistently.

The next time you’re in a bar or restaurant, look around and notice who is in rapport. Spend a few moments observing what happens between two people who are in rapport with each other and notice the way they move. It’s almost as if they’re sharing the same thoughts, communicating without words and enjoying a deep mutual understanding.

When two people are very close, it seems that their thoughts are synchronised. In fact, they are. They are thinking in the same way, about the same ideas, and there is a state of general agreement between them. When you’re in rapport with someone, you are more likely to agree with them than disagree. If there are ideas that you disagree over, you are more likely to look for the other person’s point of view and to try to understand their beliefs. When you don’t have rapport, even the most minor disagreement will create a rift between you that can be impossible to bridge.

You can read a lot in books on how to create rapport, what you need to do, what you need to say and so on. It’s all rubbish! Focussing on what you need to do is the exact opposite of what you naturally do when you create rapport. In order to develop a trusting, close relationship with someone, you just have to pay more attention to them instead of yourself. When you meet a client for the first time, instead of worrying about what to say, thinking about how you look or come across, think only about them. Think about what they want and what’s important to them. You’ll find that by naturally focussing on the other person, rapport will be almost inevitable.

First impressions are important and you already know that you just won’t naturally see eye to eye with certain people. Maybe you’re just very different types of people and for some reason you don’t hit it off. There are many reason for this, and fortunately one of the most common is one of the easiest to correct.

We use our senses, not just to take in information from the outside world, but also to think. What colour is your front door? What does your phone’s ring tone sound like? How soft is your toothbrush? To answer these questions, you think using your senses. People tend to prefer one sense over the others, so some people tend to think in pictures (visual), some in sounds or words (auditory), and some in feelings and sensations (kinaesthetic). As soon as you realise it, it’s obvious. 

If you look at “visual” people you will see them: looking up, drawing pictures with their hands, talking fast, using words like perspective, view, bright? “Auditory” people: head tilted to one side, hands conducting or emphasising, talking evenly, using words like wavelength, amplify, tune? “Kinaesthetic” people: head down, eyes closed, hands still, talking slowly, using words like feel, touch, grasp? 

People who are strongly rooted in one sensory system tend to find communication difficult with someone in a different system, just like speaking to someone in a foreign language. 

If you’ve already thought of people who fall into these categories, you can begin to understand how they see, hear or feel the world differently to you, and you can use that information to communicate with them more easily. That alone will deepen the rapport that you have already created by paying more attention to them.

When you get onto someone else’s wavelength, the results can be amazing. You’ve probably had the experience where you really hit it off with someone, where it’s as if you’re part of the same picture. You’ve probably wished you could recreate that at times – and now you can.

Next month we’ll be exploring outcomes – the art of getting what you want.

Peter Freeth is Director of Communications In Action. As a leading business coach, Peter helps people, teams and organisations get better results, faster. For more information - http://www.ciauk.com, peter@ciauk.com or phone:0870 1620802

Want to use personality questionnaires? 

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit
http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

23rd - 25th July, Intensive coaching and personal discovery weekend, Mount Snowdon
How much more successful would you be if you knew you could achieve anything?  Join Peter Freeth and Clay Lowe for a weekend of intensive coaching and personal discovery to climb Mount Snowdon and gain the insights and resources you need to achieve your ambitions - see www.ciauk.com/ascent for details. They begin with work on your values and goals, then climb the mountain, using it as a metaphor for achieving those goals. "By the end of the weekend, you will know everything you need to know about yourself to achieve the most important goals in your life and business."  The usual rate for the weekend is £900, ukrecruiter readers get a 20% discount, and will be eligible for the Partner Program where you get a 20% discount for referrals.  Call 0870 1620802 or email peter@ciauk.com 

Feedback from the "A"s
Thank you to everyone who sent feedback last week.  I thought I would publish a couple of the comments and see if anyone can help with them.  "it would be nice to see the odd focused article on issues within executive search" - if anyone is interested in writing an article, or a series, on this (large) subject please let me know.  "Would be nice to get some industry gossip too...the movers, the shakers, the 'outers' and 'inners'" - if you are interested in working (sadly without pay!) for ukrecruiter as a roving reporter getting this sort of information please let me know.

Domain Names for Sale
Mike Taylor of www.mydomainname.co.uk has the following domains for sale: contractingjobs.co.uk, contractorjobs.co.uk, e-recruitment.co.uk, executive-search.co.uk, job-hunting.co.uk, recruitmentadvertising.co.uk and searchselection.co.uk.  If you are interested in buying any of these you should contact him direct on 01962 883754 or email mike@web-based-recruitment.com.

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
This month's networking event is on Thursday 29th July - put it in your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Garden Leave and Restrictive Covenants", "Recruitment regulations advice" and "Mark Up Fees". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 3rd July 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, Guardian Unlimited Jobs, Prospects We UK and TES Jobs. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Online Job Index, AllJobsUK.com, 6th July 2004
The AlljobsUK.com Online Recruitment Index shows a total of 591,958 vacancies across the sites that it tracks.  This is up 14,838 from last week.   If you want more information about how these figures are compiled visit  http://www.alljobsuk.com

CONTENTS

• Recruitment Advice Centre (from www.R2R.co.uk)
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Website Review - Calibre One by Hugo Pickering)
• Article Two (The New Website Accessibility Law by John Harrup)
• Don't Miss This (CV-Library Competition Winner - Domain's for sale - Simplysalesandmarketing.co.uk 1/2 price offer - 10% Discount on "Winning Competitive Tenders" Workshop - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

Recruitment Advice Centre from www.r2r.co.uk

Recruitment to recruitment job board R2R offer a free advice centre giving access to a highly qualified and independent panel of recruitment expertise. In the ukrecruiter newsletter we re-publish questions and answers as an occasional feature.

Question 
I am considering a move from Contract IT Recruitment (I’m 32 and have 10 years experience) into Search & Selection. Some of my clients are in the Pharmaceutical industry and they have a number of high salary permanent jobs to fill that are not easily resourced so they attract high Search fees. On face value this would seem to offer me more opportunity for career, job satisfaction and income. Do you believe a died-in-the-wool IT Contract Recruitment Consultant could make the jump?

Answer 
The short answer to your question is - Probably Yes. 

You have experience of the business sector and a number of valuable contacts. It also sounds as though you have a high level of drive that is normally associated with IT Contract Consultants. However there are a number of key differences between Contract and Search that we recommend you consider carefully.

The pace of Search is generally much slower than Contract. Also at a senior level the process requires a high degree of patience and great attention to detail. For example, “cultural-fit” is generally much less of an issue for a 3-6 month contract than experience and ability. Whereas for a senior level Search placement, all these factors are essential pre-requisites.

Certainly skill shortages at senior technical and management levels suggest that Search may potentially be an attractive move for you. However, a fundamental aspect to consider is the methods used by a Search Agency to locate suitable candidates and how those variations in style and practice suit your personality and working methods 

True Search generally uses a team of specialist and suitably qualified researchers, who seek out and only pitch successful people. This is all done quietly and discreetly with a lot of evening and weekend discussions taking place. A prime objective is to encourage highly successful non-job seekers to apply. This is a highly specialised process and it is not for the feint-hearted or the 9-5 worker. 

This is a summary and a the complete answer is provided at http://www.r2r.co.uk where you can also post your question for R2Rs panel. Don’t forget we run our own discussion board at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum where you can get advice from your recruitment peers.

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 - Recruitment Consultancy Website Review - Calibre One by Hugo Pickering

Calibre One: http://www.calibreone.com

Site description
Calibre One quote themselves as ‘a leading, international Executive Search organisation’ and their site reflects a mature approach to the business, based in London and San Francisco.  Operating in both Executive Search (for which they claim a database of over 30,000 managers) and Interim Management, the company cites its philosophy of providing clients with a comprehensive guarantee of candidate suitability.

Creative Design
The site projects a cohesive, confident air with sparing use of graphic devices and good use of white space to focus the user’s attention.  The somewhat hackneyed use of a single coloured item in a monochrome image is a little disappointing however. 

Ease of use
Generally the site works well for the user, with logical, intuitive menus and obvious links. There is only one issue with usability; the menu changes when in the ‘Selected Assignments’, requiring use of the ‘Back’ button to re-establish the ‘About us’ menu

Relevant content
The site provides comprehensive information for both clients and candidates, together with email links to the appropriate desk, but only scant information about the company – I would have liked to see more history of the business to support their claim to be a ‘leading organisation’. There is no option to register for a newsletter or updates, suggesting that they have no interest in acquiring user details.

Using a free third party news feed (NewspaperNow.com) that bears no relation to the company is a lazy way of generating new content. Calibre One would have done better to generate their own news on a regular basis, which would be relevant to them, their clients and their candidates.

If I were writing the copy for the website, I would steer away from phrases such as ‘Never before has the effective and efficient recruitment of senior managers been more of a mission critical undertaking.’ This does nothing for the credibility of the company.

Candidate and client functionality
The site performs well for candidates or clients researching Calibre One, with a good number of assignments listed, which inspires confidence in their ability to deliver.

The site covers the two main areas of specialisation, but with a seemingly greater emphasis placed on interim management, judging by the number of supporting pages.

Candidate and client marketing and retention
Even though Calibre One is an executive search company it is somewhat surprising that there is no desire to practice any form of CRM (customer relationship management) for either candidates or clients. The fact that no registration forms appear on the site classifies it as an online brochure and does not play to its strengths; in fact it compares poorly with competitor’s sites in this respect.

Online marketing
Calibre One can be easily found through a direct name search. However finding them otherwise is not so easy, unless one is used to clicking on ‘Google Adwords’ (those sponsored links to be found beside a Google search) when searching for ‘interim management’ or other specific terms.

Even though the site has been recently launched, it has not been marketed well, with very few links in and out. They would have been well advised to create a proper link strategy and marketing campaign – a company such as Calibre One should be highly visible in online directories and indexes.

Summary
As an online brochure the site is competent, but as a marketing tool it lacks the ingredients to deliver any beneficial interaction for its intended audience. This site should be working harder for its living. 

Hugo Pickering runs a corporate communications consultancy specialising in online recruitment communications and recently set up Online Recruiter, providing web services to recruitment businesses. Contact Hugo at h@hugopickering.com or see Online Recruiter at www.onlinerecruiter.co.uk

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You can also view further information on HotLizard products and services at http://www.hotlizard.net

Article Two: The New Website Accessibility Law by John Harrup

If your website is offering a service as of 1st October 2004 it will be mandatory for you to offer easy access for all users, this includes users with a range of disabilities.

Following testing that was carried out on 1000 websites by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) it was decided that the vast majority of sites that were providing a service were not meeting the required standards. This led to DRC Chairman, Bert Massie, describing the situation as “unacceptable”. He is determined not to allow disabled people to be left behind when it comes to web site accessibility.

Of the 1,000 sites tested, 808 (81 per cent) failed on automated testing to reach the minimum standard for accessibility, known as Level A. The survey also found that the average home page contains 108 barriers that make it impossible or very difficult for disabled people to use. The resulting change in the law and October deadline means companies need to identify if their website has an accessibility problem sooner rather than later.

The standards for the new accessibility laws have been defined by The Web Accessibility Initiative (part of The World Wide Web Consortium) which deals with ensuring the web pages of company sites are accessible to as many people as possible. The standards are set in 14 clear international guidelines known as The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). According to the DRC, who are recommending the guidelines, this is believed to be the standard that the Government will follow as of 1st October 2004. 

To ensure your site is compliant you need to consider how to help users that are using different ways of viewing your site, for example when viewing with the aid of Braille readers. However it is not only blind people who can benefit from an accessible site. People who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, hearing impaired, blind, visually-impaired, low-vision, mobility-impaired, learning-disabled, dyslexic can all benefit from an accessible website. But how do you know if your site is or is not accessible?

Navigation should be your first priority. Images should have a descriptive meaning via the alt tag and title tag, not just have the word “image” appear when you move your mouse over the image. You should describe the image: what it is, whether there people in the image, whether it is a logo, whether it links to another page, etc. If the image is complicated you can either add a long description or add a caption. Your images should be clearly explained, as if you were describing a photograph to someone over the phone. 

Your site should also allow for users to change the size of the font, colour scheme and be able to disable menu systems. If your website has these capabilities then you are well on your way to having accessible site.

Professional guidance can be used to identify exactly how accessible your site is. Independent site accessibility testers, such as Bobby http://bobby.watchfire.com or SiteMorse www.sitemorse.com can do this for you. By typing in your website address they can assess accessibility issues on your site. If you are thinking to outsource the worry you can also check prospective accessibility consultant’s websites using the same testing tool. Despite the fact that sites now need to be accessible you do not need to forfeit design over function. It is possible to have a site that is both well designed and accessible.

Useful Links:
Disability Rights Commission - www.drc.org.uk; Royal National Institute for the Blind - www.rnib.co.uk; Web Accessibility Initiative - www.w3.org/WAI; W3C Accessibility Check List - www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html

For further information on website accessibility please contact Red Ant Design on 01622 664333, email: info@redantdesign.com or visit our website at: www.redantdesign.com 

Advertisement

Want to use personality questionnaires? 

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Don't Miss This

CV Library Competition Winner
Heather Smith of Red Rattle Ltd won June's CV Library competition.  On the 28th July we'll be giving details of how to enter the competition where you could win 3 month's access to CV Library's candidate database.

Domain's for sale
We're thinking of starting a new Don't Miss This feature where we'll list recruitment domains that are for sale.  You would be able to contact the vendor direct.  If you have a recruitment related domain that you'd like to sell please email me with the details including the asking price.

Simplysalesandmarketing.co.uk ½ price offer
To celebrate the start of summer, simplysalesandmarketing.co.uk has put together a promotion for July and August. Unlimited vacancy advertising during July and August normally costs £200 a month. However, with the special offer it’s £200 for both months. Unlimited CV searching is £150 for two months (versus £150 a month) and the full package of unlimited vacancy advertising and CV Search is £300 (again half price). Additionally all companies that take up this promotion will be entered into a draw to win a Red Letter Days Experience Voucher. For more information contact Ian Partington on 0870 4435474 or by email at Ian@simplygroup.net.

14th July 2004, 10% discount on "winning competitive tenders" workshop, London
LC Training & Excelerator Ltd have developed this one day intensive workshop aimed at managers and senior recruiters who need to understand the proposal process and enhance their ability to put together more powerful bids, thus increasing their 'hit rate'. Now including a segment covering on-line tendering. The course runs on the 14th July and costs £395 + VAT per delegate. However, they are offering a 10% discount if you quote "ukrec". For more information or to book contact Marilyn Davidson on 020 8857 2077 or email marilyndavidson@lctlimited.com

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
There's no networking event this month.  However, why not put July's event in your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "EAA Regulations", "PSL Status", and "junior recruiters". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 25th June 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, Guardian Unlimited Jobs, TES and Prospects Web UK. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

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If you are interested in advertising a product, service or internet site in the newsletter please contact me by email or telephone (01635 254881).

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NOTE: This newsletter may be copied and distributed free of charge in its entirety. Individual sections may NOT be copied or distributed without the prior written agreement of louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk.

Copyright (c) 2004, UK Recruiter Ltd

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Nadina Turnbull from Format Recruitment)
• Article One (Preparing Your Candidate for Interview by Gaynor Lowndes)
• Article Two (Utilityjobsearch Job Board Review by Russell Murch)
• Don't Miss This (Book Release: The Art of Recruitment by Gaynor Lowndes - Win CV Database access worth £200+ - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://www.recruitingmastery.com/home.html An American site run by a really motivational recruiter, I particularly like his "weekly recruiter tips".  His style and attitude is quite infectious.

http://www.accuweather.com Another American site (just coincidence!) that does what it says on the tin.  After planning my summers round the BBC forecast and getting rained on I was recommended this site, you can get the weather for anywhere in the world and it is the most accurate forecast I have found.

http://www.mailwasher.net/ A way to try and remove your email address from spammers lists, free to use for one email address. Mailwasher allows you to view all your emails before you download them so if you get spam you can "bounce" it back to the sender, they then get a message saying the email was undelivered. Its a clever piece of software that has reduced the number of junk emails I get.

Nadina Turnbull is a Senior Consultant at www.formatrecruitment.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: Preparing Your Candidates for Interview by Gaynor Lowndes

We are now working in a tight market for quality candidates in most sectors and therefore we need to get smarter at working our candidates. Below is an exert from Gaynor’s book “The Art of Recruitment” (see “Don’t Miss This” section for more information).

Classifying candidates
Always classify your candidates based on their desire to change jobs. One of the differences between an average recruiter and an exceptional recruiter is their ability to only work those candidates who are really serious about changing jobs. I rate a candidate’s desire to change between 1 and 10 with 1 being the lowest, that is someone just testing the job water, and 10 being the highest, perhaps they were out of work or about to be. If I rated a candidate 5 or above, then I would actively work them by putting their details on newsletters, reverse marketing and floating them to prospective employers. 

Briefing your candidate before interview
This step is essential to ensure a smooth process and that you remain in control throughout. Don’t assume that your candidate will research the company he/she is going to interview with.

Give your candidates the following information as a minimum:

• The location of the interview and details on how to get there

• When the interview will be held

• What time to be there

• Who will be conducting the interview

• The full job brief as you understand it

• Tips on what to expect – you may have met the hiring manager so you can tell your candidate a little about their personality or how he/she may handle the interview

• Ask him/her to review the company website or give them information regarding the company

• Wish him/her luck and ask them to get in touch as soon as possible after the interview

Make sure you spend enough time on this step. I have heard many stories from clients about how inappropriately briefed candidates turned up for interview. Remember that perception is reality for our clients and we want to leave them with the impression we have earned our fee.

After the interview
When a candidate contacts you after an interview, the timeframe in which this is done is a good indicator of their enthusiasm for the position.

When speaking with the candidate make notes and ask the following questions:

• How do you feel the interview went?

• What was discussed? This allows you to get a picture of how in-depth the interview was and whether the client has included anything that you were not originally briefed on. 

• Have you any concerns? Get in there early and overcome any concerns that the candidate has

• How long were you there? If the interview only lasts a very short period, it is unlikely that the candidate is a serious contender for the position.

•  What did the client tell you about the position? I can’t tell you how many times candidates have phoned me and told me that the job was not what I had briefed them on. When questioning the client after the first interview it appears that either the client changed his/her mind during the interview, or the client believed he/she had already indicated the change to me. Either way it’s the middle man (the recruiter) who ends up looking bad.

• How well did you get along with the interviewer? This question gives me an understanding of whether the client and candidate found common ground.

• Do you feel you can do this job? This is really used as a pre-close, I want a commitment from the candidate that they can do the job so that later they are less likely to use this as a reason not to accept the offer.

If negative issues arise, counsel as they come up. Reassure your candidate that you’ll get feedback and come back to them. It is essential for a successful outcome that you stay in control of the process from this point on. 

Gaynor Lowndes, the Managing Director of The Recruitment Training Company, has over 17 years recruitment experience, gained in Australia and the UK. The Recruitment Training Company provides training and consulting services to the recruitment industry in Australia and New Zealand. For more information visit http://www.trtc.com.au.

Advertisement

Want to use personality questionnaires? 

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Article Two: Utilityjobsearch.com Job Board Review by Russell Murch

Come on ‘England’ I hear you cry. Well whilst you have been busy shouting at the TV in the pub I have been talking to Duncan Freer from http://www.Utilityjobsearch.com

RM: What is the story behind utilityjobsearch.com?

DF: Utilityjobsearch.com is the third job board that we have developed. Oilandgasjobsearch.com is our main business, whilst we also have Railjobsearch.com.  Utilityjobsearch was launched on Monday 7th June. We have already logged 800 candidate registrations- over 100 per day. We are hopeful that this level of registrations can be maintained and, possibly exceeded over the coming weeks and months.

RM: Is the job board aimed solely at a UK audience?

DF: The site is aimed purely at a UK audience. Over 90% of our candidate registrations are from UK residents.

RM: Does the job board cover the needs for all levels of employment within the utility sector?

DF: We are aiming at white collar professionals as the majority of our clients have requirements in this area. However, the registration process is the same for all candidates.

RM: Are there plans for enhancements to the site?

DF: Not at the moment. I am making sure that the existing functionality is working effectively before I consider additional improvements.

RM summary: 
This job board has been very difficult to summarise, simply because I wanted to write so much about it. The registration process for both candidates and recruiters is extremely straightforward.

The Application Management System for recruiters allows them to manage all their vacancies online. The recruiter can view a list of candidates who have applied for each of their jobs. The list includes links to CVs, covering letters, personal profiles and the date that they applied. The recruiter is also able to send individual or group emails to the applicants.

Additional features include CV alerts, Look Who's Browsing and Skill Search. 

This has to be one of the best job boards that I have had the pleasure of reviewing.. Recruiters get to see all the information they are likely to need, they can ask questions that are pertinent to individual vacancies and it is very intuitive, clean and concise in it’s layout. The Candidates section is very straightforward and there is no excessive clutter in terms of gimmickry, a simply job search and results section and the ability to amend their profile or update CV’s when applying for vacancies. Only thing missing from a candidates view point is the ability to apply for more than one vacancy at a time. 

Russell Murch is a director of RPM Solutions (UK) Limited. RPM Solutions offer an extensive range of web services from design packages to full web site builds and management all year round. For more information visit http://www.rpm-solutions.co.uk/

Next month Russell will feature http://www.grapevinejobs.com/

Do you want to advertise here?

The ukrecruiter newsletter goes out to over 15,000 recruitment professionals in the UK. What better place could you advertise?

For information email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or call 01635 254881

Don't Miss This

Book Release: The Art of Recruitment by Gaynor Lowndes
By our very own Gaynor Lowndes; The Art of Recruitment is an "essential guide for anyone involved in working in the recruitment process and covers every aspect of recruitment from candidate interviews, client relationships, building business, proposals and tenders to maintaining balance and achieving success". The book is available via mail order from http://www.trtc.com.au.  Priced 24.95 AUS DOLLARS (+ 6.95 P&P) it is very cheap for UK recruiters considering the exchange rate!

Win CV Database access worth £200+
Win 3 months free access to over 170,000 CV's and branded unlimited vacancy posting worth over £200. CV-Library are making this generous offer only to ukrecruiter subscribers. The "winner" will be chosen at random at midday Friday 25th June. To win visit http://www.cv-library.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukr_comp.cgi.

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
Why not put July's event in your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "HR training", "Promotion/ Succession Plans in Recruitment", and "Need to recruit a recruiter but don't want to pay". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 15th May 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, Guardian Unlimited Jobs, TES Jobs and Prospects Web. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Ian Partington from Simply Online Services Ltd)
• Article One (Alexander Mann Group web site review by Dr A Etemadi)
• Article Two (How to Write a Web Advert by Peter Hooker)
• Don't Miss This (Win Age Positive Goody Bags - 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Interviewing Course - The Recruitment Society Event - CIPD Annual Recruitment & Retention Conference - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

http://www.surveyshack.com - This online survey software has become an invaluable tool for us. What is good about this site is that you can set up your own online survey and edit it as you see fit. What is even better is that the company charge a small fee per reply, so you can send it out to as many people as you like.

http://www.skysports.com - To keep up to date with what is going on in the sports world (and in particular football) I use this site regularly. They also have a great tool whereby you can set up news alerts that get sent directly to your desktop when something new happens.

http://www.emailtools.co.uk - This email marketing website has become an integral part of our business in that we can communicate with candidates who have registered on this site about particular clients advertising, send our newsletter etc. It can send out emails in plain text or HTML which suits our requirements down to the ground.

Ian Partington is Managing Director of Simply Online Services Ltd

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

Professional Online Solutions for the Recruitment and Staffing sector
HotLizard is the premier supplier to the recruitment industry for online recruitment software and excellence in recruitment web site design, development and marketing. 

For more information, please contact Adele Poole, on 01635 527900 or email adele.poole@hotlizard.net.

You can also view further information on HotLizard products and services at http://www.hotlizard.net

Website Address – http://www.alexmann.com

Site description
The Alexander Mann Group web site is essentially an on-line brochure primarily targeted at corporate clients. It is divided into three separate sections: Solutions, Executive Search and Associated Companies. The company was founded in 1985, has 340 employees and offices at a number of locations worldwide. The group “…specialises in the provision of executive search services to the Financial Services and Technology industries”. Candidates are able to view available posts under the “Current Assignments” section of Executive Search and on some of the Associated Company web sites.

Creative Design
The design of the corporate web is somewhat dated but functional. There is enormous scope for improvement.

Ease of use
The site navigation could be simplified and made far more intuitive. It takes two or more clicks to navigate to important information such as job listings.

Candidate functionality and content
There is very little functionality within any of the sections on this web site. Candidates can browse job listings and send in applications via email links associated with each entry. One can not help but feel that there is a great deal of missed opportunity here. They do not even offer candidates or corporate clients the opportunity to speculatively register for news and information. Candidates are not able to complete an application form or register to receive jobs by email. Both these are virtually standard features for recruitment web sites 

Among the other Alexander Mann web site the Solutions web site (http://www.alexandermannsolutions.com) stands out as being far superior in design. However it also lacks any candidate functionality. In general there is very little attempt at corporate branding across all Alexander Mann web sites.

Client functionality and content 
Clients are provided with corporate brochure type information, relevant contact details and email links. Disappointingly the “News” page only contains one “article” from 2004. 

The Solutions website does contain more information – up to date news stories and research.

Candidate and client marketing and retention
The site is singularly lacking in any functionality aimed at capturing visitor data.

Online marketing
Upon using every keyword from the site’s Meta-tags we were unable to find a single listing on the first five pages of any of the three hundred search-engines we examined. If you are searching by the company name then the site can be quickly found. Given the high profile of this company and its target audience of financial and technology industries it is unusual to discover there has been no attempt made to increase their on-line visibility.

Value to user
Corporate clients would probably find this site singularly lacking of any of the features they have come to expect. Candidates would probably be more concerned with finding relevant and available posts. Even though this information exists it does not feature prominently on the site.

Summary 
This site has enormous scope for improvement. A complete redesign and increased functionality would in all likelihood pay great dividends. However, candidates can find highly relevant information with some effort.

Dr Ata Etemadi, a former space scientist, is the Managing Director of Division X Limited, a company dedicated to providing tailored software and hosting solutions to companies of all sizes worldwide. You can reach him or his team at ata@divisionx.com or see their products at http://www.divisionx.com

Recruiters refer your contractors, temps & freelancers to Prosperity4 & win an expenses paid trip to the Euro 2004 final in Portugal.

Refer a contractor & if they join we’ll send you the official England, or home nations, shirt. Don't miss out!  Make sure you get your England shirt in time.  

Contact Vicky on 01582 466451 or vicky.osler@prosperity4.com or refer online today: www.prosperity4.com/referacontractor.asp

Established in 2000, Prosperity4 is the UK’s fastest growing umbrella company helping contractors and freelancers to increase their net pay.

There is no doubt that the internet has radically changed the ways in which organisations recruit staff - recent research shows that there are now an estimated 11.1m online job seekers - an increase of 76% in the last two years. And yet many recruiters waste this valuable resource by not appreciating the difference between print media recruitment advertising and advertisements placed on the web. 

From your perspective, as a recruiter, there are two main differences. First, you are up against a lot of competition. In the print media, your ad may be one of ten similar roles. On the web - it may be one of thousands. Second, you are relying on your vacancy to come up in a list generated by a search engine - a key element in writing effective advertisements for the web.

So what does this mean? Well, basically it means that you'd better have the right keywords in your title to catch the attention of job search engines and candidates. A simple employment ad title such as Regional Manager will be fairly ineffective. A much better job ad title is "Regional Marketing Manager, Health Club Chain" which describes the type of manager and mentions the industry requirements. Remember the job ad title is often the first job descriptor that a candidate sees. From the title a candidate decides whether or not to click for more information. If the candidate does not click for more information, then your job ad might as well be invisible. When writing your copy, put yourself in the candidate's shoes. If you were looking for the type of role that you are advertising what key words would you be inputting into search engines? Make sure that you include as many of these words as possible in your advertisement.

In a web ad the first 15 words are key - this is because no matter how much detail follows, the first fifteen are probably the only ones that will show up in the initial search. If they don't grab attention – you won't get the click through for more detail. Consequently you need to ensure the first fifteen words are tempting enough to make the candidate want to find out more.

Requirements are also important. Try to avoid a wish list as this will just encourage unsuitable applicants to apply - be very specific in what the candidate MUST have and leave out the mere desirables. 

Finally take advantage of the unique opportunity the web gives you of being able to test your advertisements. In print advertising you get one shot. On the web there is a real opportunity to trial ads and then look at the statistics - how many people have clicked through? Of those how many have applied? If the click throughs are high and the applications are low, it's time to change the ad!

Peter Hooker is Managing Director of http://www.thejobsstore.com, a new online jobs board for the hospitality, leisure and catering sectors. He is also managing Director of Prospect Leisure Resources which specialises in managerial, executive and operational appointments in the leisure sector.

Want to use personality questionnaires?

As a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor I can:
* Determine which psychometric test is most appropriate for your needs
* Conduct the questionnaire via the internet
* Give full written and verbal feedback

Call Louise on 01635 254881 or email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/tests.htm

Win Age Positive Goody Bags 
Get Age Positive this week and enter to win an Age Positive goody bag. Packed with pens, clock, badges and squeezy balls, the bags also include some information how to become "age positive" as well as the voluntary code of practice to help you get ready for the 2006 legislation. For your chance to win an Age Positive Goody bag email agepositive@geronimopr.com using the subject line "ukrec comp". Six readers will be chosen at random at mid day on Friday 18th June. 

22nd June, 10% discount on Warren Kemp’s Interviewing Course, Central London 
This workshop is ideal for consultants who are relatively new to recruitment or for those who have had little or no formal interview training. Additionally, Managers and Team Leaders who are responsible for training their team in recruitment techniques will gain benefit from "interviewing being broken down into manageable, understandable and measurable chunks." This course normally costs £167 + VAT, however, ukrecruiter subscribers can get a 10% discount if they quote "ukrec". If you "Bring a Friend" he or she can attend the course for £127 + VAT. The course is also running in Milton Keynes on the 8th July and Bristol on the 30th June 2004. For further details visit http://www.recruitmentmatters.com or contact Emma Thorpe (0800 0749289 or info@recruitmentmatters.com). 

23rd June 2004, The Recruitment Society, London 
June's meeting is entitled "Where now for Government Policy on Recruitment?. The speaker is Gerry Sutcliffe, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment, Competition and Consumers. This is an ideal opportunity for HR, other recruiters, the recruitment industry and other consultants to discuss the major issues with a government minister. This event is described by The Recruitment Society "as one of the most important meetings in our calendar". Taking place at 6.00pm at PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1, Embankment Place, London WC2N 6RH. It costs £20 for non-members, £10 for members. For more information phone 0207 917 1728 or email admin@recruitmentsociety.org.uk 

23rd-24th June, CIPD Annual Recruitment & Retention Conference, London
The annual recruitment conference from the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, now in it's 12th year, takes place on the 23rd and 24th June at Olympia. The one day conference costs from £450 + VAT and is "the leading event for those serious about becoming an employer of choice".  The conference also sees the publication of the institute's annual recruitment and retention survey which provides the latest trends in the recruitment market and prospects for the year ahead. For more information visit http://www.cipd.co.uk/cande/arrc/overview/

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
Why not put July's event in your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "cold calling register", "factory agents", and "automatic cv registering software". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 12th June 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, TES Jobs, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and Prospects Web UK. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• CV Blunders 
• Article One (TipTopJob review by Chris Elwood)
• Article Two (Changes to the law on preventing illegal working by Matthew Davies of Fox Williams - Part two)
• Don't Miss This (10% discount on "winning competitive tenders" workshop - CV Library Winner - Psychometric reviews coming soon - Age Positive Week - Networking Event - Discussion Board)
• Hitwise Job Board Statistics
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

In a new occasional feature, provided by Careers In Recruitment, these are actual entries on either CV's or covering letters:

"Married, eight children. Prefer frequent travel."

"Special skills: Thyping."

"I eat computers for lunch."

"Previous experience: Self-employed - a fiasco."

"Although I am seeking an accounting job, the fact that I have no actual experience in accounting may seem discouraging. However..." 

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: TipTopJob Review by Chris Elwood

URL - http://www.tiptopjob.com 

Statistics 
Unique Users - over 55,000 a month; Page Impressions - 700,000 a month (source: Corinne Dauncey - Marketing Manager, TipTopJobs.com - April 2004).  Most Advertised Vacancies - Generalist jobsite covering over 25 industries

What the site says
"You only need one job, so get a TipTopJob"

First Impressions
The URL www.tiptopjob.com takes the user to the Global TipTopJob site - from here, the user can change which regional site they wish to visit by clicking on the appropriate country from the drop down menu. The over-use of the pastel colour scheme makes it difficult to always pick out the key information. However, behind the aesthetics, the site has functionality and certainly is not lacking in content. 

There are plenty of advertising opportunities on this site - whether it is a banner across the top, sponsorship (email alerts/newsletters) or company profile pages - there are many options open to employers and agencies.

Tools on Offer
It seems that nowadays, a job board isn't complete without having 'add-on' services to offer candidates. TipTopJob.com provides the usual Salary Checker and Career Centre offering CV advice and the like. It also presents the opportunity to purchase books (from partner Amazon) and the visitor can use the multi-lingual option - apparently converting the ENTIRE SITE in to a number of different languages. I tested this but to no avail - various words changed throughout the site, but most of it stayed in English!

Other extras include a user friendly 'My TipTopJob' section, results of recent surveys conducted by TipTopJob and an online opinion poll - although after placing the vote it would have been nice to see the results so far!

Strengths and Weaknesses
The most obvious strength is the site's content. There is plenty of it, from available jobs and advice on changing career paths, to archives of newsletters. The job search box is quite apparent, although this is only a keyword search facility. The user can however click the industry sectors presented on the homepage to search more specifically. 

When the user is browsing the jobs, they are unable to view the full job description unless they have registered. This is quite unusual these days and actually acts as a barrier to many users who may feel like they do not have time to register or do not want to register until they know the job is suitable for them.

Nevertheless, when the user takes time to register, they will find it a quick and easy process, and with extra functionality such as the ability to save a plethora of CV's, cover letters and job searches, it is definitely worth taking the time to register.

Time though, is something the user will have to have - many pages took a long time to load and bearing in mind that home users are likely to be connected through standard modems, their patience is likely to be tested!

Summary
According to TipTopJob.com, the site was two years in the making - and yes, granted, it offers many services to many countries and has a growing reputation as an up-and-coming international recruitment portal. All the same, there are still many improvements that could be made. If, like the site testifies, they continue to improve their service based on the comments of the users themselves, one can only assume the site will grow in functionality, usability and ultimately popularity.

Chris Elwood is Web Manager of JobPositive. "JobPositive Ltd specialises in delivering sophisticated online recruitment solutions. JobPositive(tm) is sister company of RAA Sprague Gibbons, the leading independent recruitment agency." For more information email amanda.payne@jobpositive.com

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Article Two: Changes to the law on preventing illegal working by Matthew Davies of Fox Williams - Part two

Continuing his article from last week, Matthew Davies from Fox Williams comments on the law changes that took place on 1st May 2004.

Since January 1997, Section 8 the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (AIA 1996) has imposed a criminal penalty of up to £5,000 on employers who employ a person subject to immigration control who does not have permission to be in that employment. Under the AIA, employers have a statutory defence if they can prove that the employee produced, and they copied and retained, an original document from a prescribed list showing that the employee was entitled to take the employment in question. The prescribed list of documents was set out in an Order. 

In practice, there were few prosecutions. It proved easy for illegal workers to obtain forged documents, or documents which did not belong to them, in order to hoodwink employers into believing they had the right to work. Unless the employer had actual knowledge that the person was working illegally, the employer could still use the statutory defence. Although not a real problem for compliant employers, the ineffectiveness of the legislation embarrassed the government and encouraged the unscrupulous to try their luck.

On 1 May 2004, the Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) Order 2004 came into force. This refines the list of prescribed documents and how it may be used. The main features now are:

• The list is sub-divided in the List 1 and List 2.

• List 1 comprises passports, ID cards and other travel documents still acceptable as stand-alone evidence that a person can work in the UK.

• List 2 is only relevant if a List 1 document cannot be produced. It describes other documents which will now need to be produced in tandem, and in particular combinations. For example, a full British birth certificate is now effective as a defence only if it is produced and copied alongside another document showing a non-temporary national insurance number. 

• Some documents, which have been the subject to widespread abuse, have been removed entirely from the list. These include Standard Acknowledgement Letters (SALs) for asylum seekers, Construction Industry Scheme cards and "shortform" UK birth certificates. National Insurance number cards must now be produced in combination with another document. "Temporary" NINO cards (beginning with a number "TN") are not acceptable.

Full details of List 1 and List 2, and guidance on interpretation, is available at the "employer's information" section of the Home Office IND website at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.

The Government has also announced that the £5,000 maximum criminal penalty will be increased to an unlimited amount. Offices of an employer, and managers involved in the recruitment process, can be personally criminally liable under the legislation, as well as the employer as a body corporate, for offences under the AIA. 

The Government will be keen to show that the tough new regulations are working, so employers, and those involved in the recruitment process, should take particular care to ensure that section 8 compliance procedures are in place.

There is a further important consideration. In 1999, a Code of Practice was introduced to ensure that the illegal working laws did not lead employers, deliberately or otherwise, to discriminate against employees or prospective employees on racial grounds when complying. Failure to observe the Code of Practice is admissible in employment tribunal proceedings. In order to operate a compliance policy which also complies with the Code of Practice, employers are advised to:

• Treat all applicants, regardless of apparent race, nationality or ethnic origin in the same way when requiring them to produce documents set out in List 1 and List 2.

• Avoid the temptation to "turn detective" by asking for more than the minimum documentation, which will be sufficient to protect the employer by providing the statutory defence.

• Keep clear records in accordance with the requirements of Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, either by photocopying original documents with a note of the date of inspection or scanning them using WORM (write once read many) technology.

• Take legal advice where there is good reason to believe that a person's documents may not be genuine, or where an employee refuses to co-operate with the compliance procedure. 

Matthew Davies is a Senior Associate specialising in business and employment-related immigration and nationality law at Fox Williams (http://www.foxwilliams.com), a leading firm of solicitors in the City of London.

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Don't Miss This

21-25 June, Age Positive Week - celebrating age diversity in the workplace
Age Positive Week 2004 kickstarts on June 21 to June 25 and aims to raise awareness of age diveristy issues and challenge age stereotypes. Age discrimination can affect anyone at any stage of his or her career. To find out what is happening during the week or to learn more about being Age Positive visit http://www.agepositive.gov.uk

14th July 2004, 10% discount on "winning competitive tenders" workshop, London
LC Training & Excelerator Ltd have developed this one day intensive workshop aimed at managers and senior recruiters who need to understand the proposal process and enhance their ability to put together more powerful bids, thus increasing their 'hit rate'. Now including a segment covering on-line tendering. The course runs on the 14th July and costs £395 + VAT per delegate. However, they are offering a 10% discount if you quote "ukrec". For more information or to book contact Marilyn Davidson on 020 8857 2077 or email marilyndavidson@lctlimited.com

CV Library Competition Winner
Emma Wright of Wright Personnel won May's CV Library competition.  On the 23rd June we'll be giving details of how to enter the competition this month where you could win 3 month's access to CV Library's candidate database.

Psychometric Reviews Coming soon
You may be aware I'm a British Psychological Society level A&B trained assessor.  One of the services we offer is to help corporates and consultancies conduct psychometric tests as part of a selection process.  We have previously run some psychometric test reviews in the newsletter and I'd like to start up the series again.  If you have any input to give please let me know for example you may like to recommend a product for review or have thoughts about what we should cover within the reviews. To get in touch either email louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk or phone me on 01635 254881.

29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
Why not put July's event is your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Recruitment regulations advice", "Referrals" and "Software packages for startups". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 5th June 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, TES Jobs, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and WorkThing. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Dan McGuire from Broadbean)
• Article One (Using NLP to control your state of mind by Peter Freeth)
• Article Two (Changes to the law on preventing illegal working by Matthew Davies of Fox Williams)
• Don't Miss This (Discount on Accelerated Recruitment Skills Course - Networking Event - National Online Recruitment Audience Survey Development Meeting - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise - alljobsuk.com)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://www.ecademy.com - For me this is the best networking site on the web. I have generated business from this site and it only costs £10 per month (basic membership is free).

http://www.newsnow.co.uk - I mainly use this site to keep up to date with Tottenham's hunt for a new manager but have also found it a very useful tool to keep abreast of the news from pretty much any industry, topic or talking point you can imagine.

http://www.sky.com/news - Seeing as I only really use News Now for footie I have to use this site to find out what's going on in the world. This has a good business section and one of the most in depth sports sites around. 

Dan McGuire is Director at http://www.broadbean.co.uk/

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: Using NLP to control your state of mind  by Peter Freeth 

In this series of articles, Peter Freeth will be exploring the many ways that recruiters can use the techniques and principles of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to achieve better results, more consistently.

Our state – our physical and mental condition at any given moment - drives everything we do - affecting your thoughts, your ability to think, your physical condition and even your long term health. Some people find that their state is highly influenced by the people and events around them, whilst other people find that they can exert a high degree of control over their own state.

In fact, both are true for everyone. We are social animals, and we respond very quickly to other people’s states just as the whole flock of sheep will be nervous if there’s a predator around. We all also have techniques that we regularly use to manage our own state, ranging from exercise and music through to talking with friends and eating chocolate.

Take a moment to think of what you do now to manage your state. Do you rely on external influences such as music and a change of scenery, or can you generate your own internal state change just by saying something to yourself or recalling a memory that makes you feel good? It doesn’t matter which you use, and most people find a combination of both to be really effective. The important thing for you to remember is that your state is under your control, no-one else’s.

Here are a couple of ways that you can have even more control of your state than you already do.

The first one is easy – move. Do anything that involves physical movement – stand up, stretch – anything. Don’t just sit at your desk wishing you felt better, get up, walk around the office, look out of the window.

The second is more specific and might take a bit of practice. First, you need to decide what will be the most useful state to be in for a given outcome. That’s not necessarily happy or confident; there are times when you might be more effective by being curious, confused or even angry. Once you’ve chosen your state, remember a time when you experienced that – a specific memory. Now, allow yourself to recall that memory in as much detail as you can, remembering the images, sounds, feelings, tastes or smells. As you take time to fully explore the memory, make the picture bigger and brighter, the sounds louder and the feelings more intense. This might sound strange, so give it a go and see what happens. When you notice the feeling has reached its most intense, think of a word that represents it – whatever comes naturally to mind – and think of something else that you can attach to this state. Some people find colours work well, others music, whilst others find a particular aspect of the feeling works well.

How would you use this process? Well, advertisers use it all the time to link their brand name to an emotional state. It’s a natural process that’s part of the way we form long term memories and learn emotional responses, so we might as well use it. You can even use it to ‘anchor’ positive states in clients and candidates, by having them tell you about really good recruitment experiences that you then anchor with a word, voice tone or gesture. Of course, that’s a more advanced application that you might want to have a go at once you’ve really practiced this on yourself.

For now, just practice all the different states that you can easily access to make yourself more resourceful, enjoy yourself more and get into the right frame of mind to be really effective at anything you want to do.

Next month, we’ll be talking about rapport – the medium through which we can communicate most effectively and build great relationships with other people.

Peter Freeth is Director of Communications In Action. As a leading business coach, Peter helps people, teams and organisations get better results, faster. For more information - http://www.ciauk.com, peter@ciauk.com or phone:0870 1620802

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Article Two: Changes to the law on preventing illegal working by Matthew Davies of Fox Williams

Immigration has been much in the news recently. Tony Blair's speech to the CBI, in which he spoke of reaching a "crunch point", addressed public concern about related issues from illegal working to the practical effect of EU expansion following the accession of ten new member states.

Systemic failures, widespread abuse and lack of confidence in the immigration system claimed the ministerial scalp of Beverley Hughes. Now the Government is keen to sharpen up and toughen up its approach with a series of initiatives and legislative changes. Employers and recruiters will be impacted by these. On 1 May 2004, two key changes took place:
* Ten new member states joined the European Union, with immediate labour market access for their 74 million citizens.
* The Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) Order 2004 came into force, tightening employer's criteria for complying with the law on illegal working.

The ten new countries of the European Union are: Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Malta.

Employers have rightly assumed to date that there are no immigration procedures necessary in respect of EU passport holders. In addition to the existing EU countries, citizens of three EEA countries, (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland can also work without restriction in the UK. There is an important difference in respect of nationals of the “new” EU accession countries – and a real danger for employers. The Worker Registration Scheme will apply with immediate effect. With the exception of Cyprus and Malta, workers from the other eight new accession states must, within one month of entering employment, apply for a Registration Certificate on a Form WRS (available from the Home Office's website at http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk). Although the application, which carries a £50 fee, must be made by the employee, an employer who fails to ensure a degree of compliance will be criminally liable under the Regulations and will face a fine of up to £5,000.

Employers should take practical steps to protect themselves as follows:
* Have a uniform anti-illegal working compliance procedure.
* Insist that "new" EU member nationals provide a copy of their WRS application forms within three working days of commencing employment (they will be identifiable from their passports or other documents).
* Retain the Registration Certificate subsequently issued to the employee for the duration of employment.

Employers are not expected to "turn detective"; the Home Office is very unlikely, in practice, to prosecute an employer who has taken the reasonable steps set out above and has no reason to believe the worker in question is not a member national of one of the new member states. The procedures should be built in to the recruitment and induction procedure, and applied in the same way to all individuals. Legal advice should only be necessary where an employee is refusing to co-operate with the procedure, because of the sensitivities around race relations legislation. 

Part 2 of this article is next week

Matthew Davies is a Senior Associate specialising in business and employment-related immigration and nationality law at Fox Williams (http://www.foxwilliams.com), a leading firm of solicitors in the City of London.

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National Online Recruitment Audience Survey development meeting
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29th July 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
I know it's a long way off - but why not put July's event is your diary now.  It's a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "insurance confusion", "Software packages for startups", and "Working from Home through an Agency ". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 28th May 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, TES Jobs, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and Prospects Web UK.  This is only the second time in the last 12 months that Prospects have been in the top 10.   For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Online Job Index, AllJobsUK.com, 24th May 2004
The number of live vacancies posted on 10 top UK job boards last week is 571,827 which is up 13,778 on the previous week. Reed (as seems to always be the case currently) has the largest number of vacancies at 180,932. For more information visit http://www.alljobsuk.com/jobsites.shtml

CONTENTS

• My Favourites (Orla Ruddy from Highfield Human Solutions)
• Article One (Niche Job Board Review: doctorjob by Russ Murch)
• Article Two (Age Matters by Claire Feeney)
• Don't Miss This (May Networking Event - 50% of fee back from R2R firm  - Win CV Database access - The Recruitment Society Photoplod - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise - Online Job Index)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

My Favourites

http://www.apgate.com - Appelgate is a really useful tool for finding out basic company information such as location and is something I tend to use on a daily basis in my role as Researcher

http://www.cipd.co.uk - This is the official CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development) website and is essential for anyone working in Human Resources, Training or Recruitment. I find it great for keeping up to date with legislative change. For, example, information regarding charges for temp to perm staff which has affected most recruitment agencies

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk  - Friends reunited is my all time favourite. It’s great for a laugh and finding out what happened to all the classmates you used to know! It also allows you to search areas by street name and find out what your one time neighbours are now up to. You can also use it to research candidates and clients

Orla Ruddy is a Researcher at Highfield Human Solutions.

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: Niche Job Board Interview: doctorjob by Russ Murch

May (can you believe all this sunshine) sees me talking to Ben Beaumont Editor of the doctorjob brand. Not to be mistaken for a job site for doctors, the site is actually aimed at graduates.

RM: What’s the history behind doctorjob?

BB: We’ve been around for aeons – and doctorjob has had a few makeovers down the years, but basically the history goes something like this: innovative young publishing company launches careers website with a friendly, funky ‘doctorjob’ character offering advice and jobs.

RM: What is it that you feel makes it such a success?

BB: We feel it’s the unique blend of jobs, style and friendly advice. Students love it because it’s different – it’s not just another dull careers website, so they keep coming back and stay with us throughout university and beyond. Employers love us because of the great response and because we’re jolly nice people to work with, and we respond to their needs. We’ve also got a tight-knit team working solely on improving the site, and making sure we maintain our burgeoning online community.

RM: How is the unique feel received by clients and jobseekers?

BB: They love it! We’ve built a really strong web community based around the Forum and the Moan Zone. Both employers and students feel, like we do, that it’s the only graduate careers website with jobs and personality – it stands out from the rest so people remember it. And employers get a brilliant response from our immediate vacancy service – Wanted NOW! 

RM: Are there any plans to expand on what doctorjob offers?

BB: Oh yes, we’re expanding it all the time! We’re also working on a structural overhaul and presently the main area we are looking at is making the navigation more intuitive. All the improvements are being put into place so that the site can respond quickly and effectively to the ever-changing needs of the graduate market. 

RM: Is the site limited to UK jobs?

BB: We have off-shoot foreign language versions of doctorjob: a French one at http://doctorjob.com/fr and a German one at http://doctorjob.com/de. We’ve also got a Malaysian version of the site at http://doctorjob.com.my. The English-language site is by-and-large for UK jobs, but many of the large multinational employers on there have vacancies and opportunities throughout Europe.

RM summary:
I could sum this site up in 3 words – Funky, Fun and Fast. Not content to stop there though, I would add, there are two slight downsides albeit the first is more of an annoyance rather than a functional or aesthetic problem – “The constant pop-ups really turn me off “ and second but more importantly there is so much happening and available that the navigation between areas is at times a little confusing. In conclusion, it is very easy to see why this is such a popular site.

Russell Murch is a director of RPM Solutions (UK) Limited. RPM Solutions offer an extensive range of web services from design packages to full web site builds and management all year round. For more information visit http://www.rpm-solutions.co.uk/

Next month Russell will feature http://www.securityvacancies.com

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Article Two: Age Matters by Claire Feeney

The government's age diversity campaign aims to challenge the practice of age discrimination in recruitment and to bring to a wider audience the DfEE Code of Practice for Employers ahead of new age discrimination legislation planned for 2006.

As professional recruiters we are in a unique position to advise our clients and influence positive change in areas like diversity in employment and recruitment practices. But how many of us have ever given it serious thought?

The client who actively wishes to discriminate on the grounds of age is rare but age restrictions are sometimes just accepted, or worse, actually requested by consultants as part of a brief. Even when this is not the case, the recruitment industry often seems unwilling to stand its ground and demand to be permitted to perform its role professionally, and so it becomes complicit in the ageist practices of clients. Many still argue that it is the client's right to decide what they want (as long as it is legal) and say that it is not their position to seek to amend a client's specifications - perhaps for fear of losing the business.

But my own experience is rather different. In setting up my own business in the mid-90's we settled on the stance we now take on such issues: we do not accept project briefs which involve discrimination on any grounds - and that includes age. We decided our principles were important to us and that if a client were to insist, we would decline the work.

Madness? Well, interestingly, we have never lost or had to refuse a job on these grounds. Every client who has proposed an age restriction has been open to persuasion that it makes no sense - either commercially or ethically. But whilst our stance was motivated, at least in part, by principle, that doesn't mean that you have to get precious about it. 

The age issue is really very simple, and the argument against it essentially a practical one: any irrelevant restriction in a job brief is a barrier to your operating professionally and securing the best possible candidate for the client's organisation. And this argument is increasing in strength with the rapid demographic changes to the working population as the baby boomers move into their 50's and 60's. Any business that insists it will not employ 40+ workers will face an increasingly difficult future and soon be operating illegally to boot!

Far from losing us business, we find the exact opposite applies: our clear and unambiguous stance is a positive competitive advantage. Clients want the best candidate whatever their age and we believe the freedom to consider and recommend the best people allows us to provide a better service, and what's more, after discussions, our clients agree.

Fuller version continues:

Rather than being an unwarranted intrusion, it is our job to discuss with clients anything in their specification that will impact on our ability to help and their chances of filling the vacancy successfully. We ask if they will turn down a candidate who has everything they want but is a few years either side of their ideal range and when they confirm that this is not the case, we ask to scrub the range from the brief – explaining, of course, why it will free us to do a better job for them.

The harder to convince are often swayed by the idea that a recruiter believes that what they are proposing is ‘not the right thing to do’. (Sadly many will consider your average recruiter about as likely to take an ethical stand as Herod and even less able to offer sound and unbiased business advice!) The idea that you might reject their business is a not particularly pleasant surprise - and this negative reinforcement can even lead to their trying to win you over. It also acts as positive reinforcement, reassuring those clients who are more open that you are on their side - the good guys, the ones you will work with - they are part of the club.

And last, but by no means least, our consultants gain huge satisfaction being able to take a role that gains the trust and respect of clients and candidates alike. They are spared the frustration of having the right candidates, with all the right skills, but knowing that the client will not see them because they are a couple of years either side of an arbitrary age range.

Of course, recruitment is often perceived as a ‘young’ business itself and we have to guard against the dangers of not challenging bad attitudes and practices in our own organisations too. Unfortunately we are still seeing advertisements for recruiters specifying ages in the ‘mid to late twenties’ - the guilty companies should, frankly, be ashamed. Is there nothing more important to look for in people who will be advising client companies on critical HR and recruitment issues? And is it any surprise that these recruiters should be taking ambiguous positions on the matter of diversity in the workplace when dealing with clients? 

I believe that we, in the recruitment industry, are in the privileged position of being able to lead and to influence change – we can make a difference, and what’s more, it makes commercial sense for our businesses to do so. Indeed, the whole industry has much to gain from developing more constructive relationships with clients. Perhaps being seen to lead and educate client companies in such matters will help to raise perception of, and standards in, the sector and help those clients to recognise us as professionals they can rely on, valued business advisors offering expertise for which they are willing to pay. Maybe then we will be able to say that our industry has come of age.

Claire Feeney is MD and founder of Seren Resource Management Ltd. Established in 1996, Seren recruits up to board level for clients ranging from young SMEs to household names and across a wide variety of industry sectors, mainly through advertising and selection or search, and also offers specialist behavioural profiling and a full HR consultancy service. For more information see www.serenrecruit.co.uk.

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Don't Miss This

27th May 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
May's event is a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register.  It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

50% of fee back from R2R firm TAC Search 
TAC Search is new agency operating in the Recruitment 2 Recruitment sector. Probably uniquely within the industry they pay 50% of their fees back to each candidate they successfully place. Some have questioned the legality of this, however, TAC Search say "The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 have changed some of the standards by which agencies are required to act. It is now permissible to offer a candidate an inducement to engage our business and the services we offer". If you're considering a career move call David Palmer on 0845 2300 125 or email david@tac-search.com to find out more.

Win CV Database access worth £200+
Win 3 months free access to over 170,000 CV's and branded unlimited vacancy posting worth over £200. CV-Library are making this generous offer only to ukrecruiter subscribers. The "winner" will be chosen at random at midday Friday 28th May. To win visit http://www.cv-library.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukr_comp.cgi.

12th June 2004, The Recruitment Society Photoplod, sponsorship requested
Photoplod" is an annual sponsored walk in aid of Save the Children. The Recruitment Society are putting forward a team and are looking for sponsorship! They are hoping that recruiters will contribute around £5 each by sending a donation (cheques payable to Save the Children). More information available at http://www.photoplod.com.

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Recruitment regulations advice", "Working VERY Remotely", and "CV fibbers warning for employers". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge.

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 22nd May 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, Jobserve, TES Jobs, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and WorkThing. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Online Job Index, Alljobsuk.com, 18th May 2004
The number of live vacancies posted on 10 top UK job boards last week is 558,049 which is up 22,433 on the previous week. Reed has the largest number of vacancies at 164,103. For more information visit http://www.alljobsuk.com/jobsites.shtml

Contents

• Recruitment Advice Centre (from www.R2R.co.uk)
• Article One (Recruitment Consultancy Web Site Review - Spencer Stuart by 4Mat.Com)
• Article Two (Managing an effective temporary desk by Gaynor Lowndes)
• Don't Miss This (The Recruitment Society - 27th May Networking Event - The Employment Conference - Candidate Generation Masterclass with free DVD - UK Recruiter Discussion Forum)
• Statistics (Hitwise Top 10 Recruitment Sites)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Advertising Information

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

Recruitment Advice Centre from www.r2r.co.uk

Recruitment to recruitment job board R2R offer a free advice centre giving access to a highly qualified and independent panel of recruitment expertise. In the ukrecruiter newsletter we will re-publish questions and answers as an occasional feature. Here is a recent one:

Question
Dear R2R, Most of my regular clients are now saying they have no positions they wish us to fill. Obviously this is worrying development. What advice can you offer on how to deal with this situation?

Answer
At some stage, this issue will affect many forms of recruitment including Permanent Contingency and Search, as well as Contract and Temp placements.

Ask yourself: Do your clients genuinely not have any jobs? If they have vacancies, why have they decided to use other agencies? The answers will then provide you with two alternative routes:

1) If they are using other, preferred agencies, you urgently need to find out why. When things in a recruitment sector slow down, clients will often place what little business they do have with those agencies where they have established a good working relationship. Relationships are not built upon brief emails or phone calls but on a genuine and active interest in the client, their business and their resource needs. We suggest your priority is to try to set up a few short meetings with a number of your existing clients and use these meetings to try to re-establish a closer rapport with your clients. 

2) If on the other hand your clients genuinely do not have jobs to be filled, you urgently need to refresh your client base. But before rushing off to find new accounts, you need to decide on the sector and make certain there are sufficient jobs open in the sector. Spend time researching the market and check your competitors advertising. Form a clear picture of the range of job opportunities and the markets to be sure that you can manage and fulfill them. Then plan how you are going to win these clients.

A more complete answer is provided at www.r2r.co.uk where you can also post your question for R2Rs panel. Don’t forget we run our own discussion board at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum where you can get advice from your recruitment peers.

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 - Recruitment Consultancy Web Site Review - Spencer Stuart by 4mat.com

Company Name: Spencer Stuart 
Website Address: http://www.spencerstuart.com

Site description
Spencer Stuart brand themselves as a leading private executive job portal and are clearly targeted towards the high-end market recruiting senior-level executives and board directors. The site offers executive candidates and clients a wealth of interesting information as well as interactive resources in order to make the job search experience more rewarding for candidates. 

Creative Design
The website has a professional and fairly attractive 'blue-chip' design, although the use of imagery could be regarded as a little clichéd and the excessive use of grey colouring makes the site look a little bland. On the plus side, drop down menus are stylishly designed and key links are easily identifiable.

Ease of use
The site is quick loading with an initial window allowing you to choose your country. This feature gives the immediate impression of the company's international status whilst encouraging the user to view content that is relevant to their specific region. The information on the site is fairly well laid out - very much in a 'portal' style. Clients, in particular, are given an immediate focal point inviting them to join the 'Elite Network'. This said the amount of information on the home page is a bit daunting (a problem inherent with portal style sites) and some work could be done to make the navigation more intuitive.

Relevant content
The site offers executives a lot of interesting information as well as career advice. The 'About Spencer Stuart' section offers a concise yet informative initial paragraph of information regarding the company and clear links to further company information and details regarding their 'Executive Team', 'Consultants' and 'Worldwide Offices'. An interesting feature is the online poll that increases the interactivity of the site. The site also offers a section titled 'Professional Resources', which provides relevant information regarding 'Executive Education' events as well as an interactive 'Self Assessment' quiz. The 'chat to an expert' section was disappointing though, as it has not been updated recently (the newest archive being nearly a year old). It also fails to provide potential candidates with any indication of when the next expert will be available to chat and rather tells them to 'check this page often', something their target market would theoretically not have time to do. 

Candidate and client functionality 
This site emphasises the importance of being a member of their 'Elite Talent Network' rather than just providing a straightforward job search. The time-consuming registration form could be frustrating and off-putting to a busy executive and a suggestion would be to have a quick registration version as well. This would enable candidates to register and have access to the featured opportunities, message boards and articles, with the option of returning at a later stage to complete their registration. Without registering you can view the Featured Opportunities section, which is poorly laid out and could benefit from the use of graphical icons rather than text links. This lists the latest jobs available but does not offer a quick user-friendly job search section. The only job search available is an Opportunity Number search, which is obviously only helpful if you actually have a number.

The Client services section provides concise information regarding the company and it's services. Clients can fill in the 'Executive Search services' form which could be time consuming . A suggestion would be to have an abbreviated form which would allow the potential client to be called back to discuss their needs in full. A link to the form is provided but badly located at the bottom of the Executive Search page beneath the large amount of content. 

Candidate and client marketing and retention
The site is highly focused on candidate membership and offers many benefits to registered users such as opportunities via email, message boards, chat rooms, monthly newsletters and advice on a wide range of topics. The secure log in feature allows applicant to safely view their profile and account information. 

Online marketing 
When searching for "Spencer Stuart" specifically the site is highly ranked and is therefore easily found in the main search engines and directories. However, if searched for using a phrase such as 'Executive recruitment' the site is not listed. Possibly due to their size and reputation Spencer Stuart are assuming that potential candidates and clients would search for them using their name, however for a modest investment an Online Marketing Plan could be implemented such that they could be found under related search phrases. 

Summary
Overall the Spencer Stuart website is a reasonable quality, professional website which is clearly focused towards its target audience. This said the design could be improved and whilst the quality of the content was good it could be re-ordered in such a way that the web site navigation is made more intuitive. Indeed it is with delicious irony that Spencer Stuart claim on the site that 'Information is your most powerful tool. But you have to know how to use it.'

James Saunders is a Director of 4mat.com, the UK's leading provider of recruitment web sites. You can reach him or the 4mat team at james.saunders@4mat.com or see their products at www.4mat.com

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Article Two - Managing an Effective Temporary Desk by Gaynor Lowndes

The beauty of temporary work is the flexibility and lifestyle choices it provides. You can work when you want, where you want, doing what you want. Well that's the theory anyway. Reality may be a little different.

The temporary market is the fastest growing market in the western world. Manpower in the USA is one of the top 5 employers of staff and the largest supplier of temporary labour in the USA. Temporary work will continue to grow over the coming years.  It is important early on to win the loyalty of your temporary because your income is dependent on this person!  This individual wants the most interesting job; in the best location on the best money for the longest period.

Flexibility
Central to the temporary market, is the flexibility of the individuals that work it. At interview, rate your temps on their flexibility. For example, if the job is something that interests them, but is paying lower then their expectations, will they do it? Would they work outside their original location radius if the assignment is short term? What jobs don't they want me to talk to them about? If the rate per hour is below £X (their minimum) yet they haven't worked for a couple of weeks, would they consider it? I have always kept my most flexible temps in consistent work.

Exclusive
If your candidate has a marketable skill, ask for exclusivity, even just for a period of time. That way you will get him/her into an assignment and there will be no need for registration with further agencies. This was a common practice in the late 1980's as we were in such a candidate short market that it was easy to keep a skilled temporary in work. In fact on many occasions, I made the potential temporary a cup of coffee whilst I did their reference checks and then booked them into an assignment before they left my office! Work fewer temporaries but work them well if you are in a specialized market. 

Candidate Care & Management
Why should a candidate register with you and not someone else?  I believe that candidates are our best and cheapest form of advertising. They have a pleasant experience and they may tell their friends. That have a bad experience and they will tell everyone!  What can YOU do as a consultant to take care of your candidates? Do what you say you will do and do it when you say you will do it!

Having worked through not one but two recessions in my recruitment career, I understand how difficult it can be to return candidate telephone calls, especially if you are in an office support or labour hire market where you may have literally hundreds of people registered for work. Having said that, I can't impress upon you how important it is to return contact calls and e-mails as soon as possible after you receive them. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of messages you get, then consider:

* Re-educating your candidates that you will call them if you have work for them.
* Train your receptionist to let the candidate know he/she will pass on the message and the consultant will call the candidate  back when they have some news.
* Reduce your availables list - go back to working fewer candidates more regularly than heaps of candidates on an ad-hoc basis.

Candidate Management - follow up
How often do you to talk to your candidate base that isn't working for you?  Your temporaries provide valuable information about the marketplace, market rates and also what your competitors are doing. It is essential that you speak with your candidates regularly - at least once a week. Remember to be selective, actively work your A's and B's. Ask them what they like about your competitors- knowledge is strength in our business. Also find out marketing information such as where they are working and who they are reporting to. I picked up many new clients this way.

This is an exert from Gaynor's soon to be released book "the Art of Recruitment". It will be available for purchase by UK Recruiter subscribers in July 2004.  Gaynor Lowndes, Managing Director of The Recruitment Training Company - Australia's leading specialised training Company. http://www.trtc.com.au

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Don't Miss This

25th May 2004, The Recruitment Society, London 
Come and hear from three legal experts on the subject of "Top Legal Tips for the Recruitment Industry". Topics covered include: the new statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedures; an update of the working time regulations and the new employment agency regulations. Taking place at Lawrence Graham, 190 Strand, London. It costs £20 for non-members, £10 for members. For more information phone 020 7439 6288 or email admin@recruitmentsociety.org.uk

27th May 2004, The Recruitment Networking Event, London
May's event is a great opportunity to meet and talk with other suppliers, clients and recruiters. It's free to attend and you do not have to pre-register. Put it in your diary now. It's at Tiger Tiger. 29 Haymarket. London. at 6.30pm. Details of future events at http://www.recruitmentnetworking.co.uk.

27th May 2004, The Employment Conference, London
"An exciting new event bringing together HR, personnel, employers and the recruitment industry. The Conference will cover every issue pertinent to being an employer. How to be an employer of choice, how to get the best from your recruitment industry supplier, technology, online recruitment, the future workforce and employment legislation will be among the key topics presented. Your employees give you a competitive edge, how can HR and recruiters ensure that you successfully manage the workforce of the future?" Call Theresa or David at Recruitment International for more details on 01932 351144. Or for a pdf brochure email davidhead@dial.pipex.com

8th June 2004, Candidate Generation Masterclass: free DVD to ukrecruiter subscribers, London
Mike Walmsley is running a Candidate Generation Masterclass on 8th June 2004. The cost of attending the ½ day course is £499 per person. As well as receiving two free follow-up teleconference training sessions ukrecruiter newsletter subscribers who book before 31st May will receive a free Candidate Generation DVD (RRP £699). For more information call 0800 052 0003 and quote ukrec

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Recruitment regulations advice", "Working VERY Remotely", and "CV fibbers warning for employers". Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 15th May 2004
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were Jobcentre Plus, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed.co.uk, Fish4 Jobs, Monster.co.uk, TES Jobs, Jobserve, Guardian Unlimited Jobs and WorkThing. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

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