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Top 10 countries to live and work in 2018

Karoli Hindriks, founder and CEO of Jobbatical

Working abroad has always been a popular choice for many people around the world, and as part of their New Year resolutions, many individuals will be thinking about leaving everything behind and embarking on to new pastures. But what exactly would make people want to leave home and work abroad? There are many significant motivations for doing so; from working in a niche market that only specific countries can accommodate, to simply pursuing a fresh start, or exploring opportunities with the best talent in a given field.

Having already helped job seekers relocate to organisations from across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, Jobbatical shares list of top 10 countries from around the world that are making the greatest efforts to improve the lives of their inhabitants. The list of countries provided below have become desirable places to live for those looking to bring a positive impact into their lives, the economy and future in the next decade.

1. Portugal

Since unveiling a €200 million fund for start-ups and foreign companies that relocate to the country, Portugal has quickly become one of the most vibrant start-up ecosystems in Europe. The Portuguese government has also recently announced a ‘start-up visa’ to attract entrepreneurs from outside the EU, encouraging them to relocate to Portugal with the promise of a resident visa.

2. Estonia

Thanks to the ease of immigration for foreign specialists, Estonia has become one of the best countries to relocate to for skilled workers. In fact, for workers looking to join start-ups and who are relocating from countries that do not require a visa, a work permit can be granted within 24 hours of digitally signing a contract with an Estonian company. This is testament to Estonia’s commitment to attracting the best talent and its booming tech scene, as the country now boasts an estimated 350 start-ups, making high-tech industries account for 15% of Estonia’s Total GDP.

3. Denmark

Consistently rated as one of the happiest countries in the world, Denmark has made it easy for foreign specialists to join a skilled – and cheerful – workforce. Certified employers can actually secure a four-year visa for new hires within the space of two weeks using a fast track system, leapfrogging the normal processing time of two months.

4. Finland

The Finnish government allows specialist employees from visa-free countries to work in Finland for up to three months without the need of a residential permit, even providing a streamlined process for residence applications for those looking to stay for longer. In fact, the government has set up Come2Fi, an organisation that helps people through the process of relocating to the country. A recent survey by Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce highlighted that 59% of companies surveyed, have hired multicultural employees in the past, which is a great example of the country’s open and inclusive culture.

5. Malaysia

Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, has been listed as the second best location for Internet start-ups, thanks to its multiracial and multicultural diversity. The immigration process for foreign specialist employees is fairly straightforward and generally takes two to four weeks to issue an employment visa.

6. Sweden

With a population of 10 million and GDP of $511 billion, Sweden is a high-tax, high-spend country that encourages its companies to give generous benefits and vacation time to employees. Similar to other countries on this list, Sweden has a fast track visa process that grants work permits quickly, allowing prospective employees to receive a visa in one month, instead of the usual six to twelve.

7. Singapore

Due to a strong technology ecosystem, excellent healthcare quality and high investment, it’s no surprise that Singapore was named the best start-up city in 2017 by Nestpick. While many South-Asian countries struggle to recruit engineers, Singapore continues to attract a cohort of young and proficient software developers.

8. Colombia

The Colombian government plans on giving out some $12 million to entrepreneurs across Colombia, in order to support them in setting up their own businesses. With the right investment, regulation and – of course – talent, the country could find itself in pole position to become Latin America’s first technology powerhouse.

9. Germany

Over the years Berlin has been consistently rated as one of the best start-up hubs in the world. Now, the city’s traditional rival has started to close the gap, with Munich joining the German capital in the top 11 European start-up cities according to the European Digital City index. Fortunately for both, the immigration process is simple and inexpensive, although a university degree is a requirement in order to work in Germany.

10. Japan

The combination of serene nature, rich cultural heritage and cutting-edge technology makes Japan an exciting destination to start a new chapter. For those looking to relocate to the island nation, the immigration process to move over to Japan is surprisingly simple. After an employer has submitted a work permit application, the approval process only takes 2-4 weeks. Once completed, employees can apply for a residential visa at the nearest Japanese embassy – which generally takes a further three business days to be issued.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

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Employees staying average of 4.5 years in a job, finds BPS World

With the UK facing an almost unprecedented skills shortage, employers are bracing themselves for higher staff turnover, as their employees are given the bargaining power to move on more quickly to their next role. Yet new research from BPS World suggests employees are far more loyal than businesses expect.

The survey of 1000+ employees, working both part time and full time, found that staff usually stay with one employer for an average of 4.5 years, and a third say they usually stay in one role for more than six years.

BPS World also asked respondents about the longest time they’ve spent with one employer to date, and found that almost half (45%) have worked for one company for ten years or more at a certain point in their career. 43% also said they’d consider staying with their ‘dream’ employer for life.

Simon Conington (pictured), MD of BPS World, said, “Employers will be reassured to see that for the most part, employees are not jumping from job to job in a matter of months as some headlines would suggest. Whilst this is encouraging, it’s important that businesses don’t become complacent; employers that consider employee engagement to be low priority will without doubt lose talented staff.”

When asked why they stayed put in their longest serving role, employees ranked enjoyment of their job as the number one reason (47%), followed by being treated well and respected by their employer (38%) and being well paid (30%). Employers were asked why they believed their longest standing team members stayed with them, and whilst they were aligned in believing that enjoyment of the job is the biggest driver for staying put, they believed that that progression prospects rank highly; with almost a third (31%) ranking this as a top retention driver. In contrast, just 13% of employees surveyed said progression prospects were the reason why they stayed in their longest serving role. There were other disparities between employers and their staff, with 20% of employers believing that pride in working for the company is the top reason for their employees staying in role, whereas just 11% of the employees themselves rated that as the biggest driver for them remaining in post.

Conington concluded, “A certain amount of staff turnover is of course healthy for a business, but losing a highly skilled team member presents obvious challenges.  Employers are rightly appreciating that their staff need to enjoy what they do if they’re going to hang onto them, but there is a slight mismatch in what else they believe is important to their teams, versus what actually retains a talented staff member. It’s vital that they don’t rely on assumptions, and encourage transparency and open conversations with their employees to foster a culture of loyalty and engagement within their business.”

BPS also asked employees how long they intend to stay with their current employer; over a quarter said more than five years, with the average being 3.2 years.

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Millennials likely to have 12 jobs in their working lives, research finds

The average Brit has six jobs in their lifetime, according to new research by Investec Click & Invest.  However, those aged between 18 and 34 plan to only stay in their current job for an average of three years and four months, which equates to an average of 12.5 jobs during their working lives** – more than twice the national average.

Millennials are most likely to be driven by wanting more money, a new challenge or career progression (all 35%).  This compares to older individuals, whose primary reasons for wanting to change jobs include being unhappy in their current role (33%), wanting to do something different (25%) or wanting to do something they are passionate about (24%),

Indeed, only 23% of millennials stated that they would want to move because they were unhappy, while they are also less likely to want to move to have an easier job (4% versus 7% of over-35s) – dispelling the myth of the “lazy millennial”.

It is 18 to 34-year olds who also secure the highest proportional pay rise at 20.4% when they change jobs. While this is largely due to the lower average salaries earned by those starting their careers (£30,913), this still represents an increase of £5,235 – 64% higher than the national average pay rise.

Jane Warren, CEO of Investec Click & Investec, said, “The days of a job for life have long been over and our findings show that younger people are keen to take control of their careers by switching jobs to meet their objectives, despite the greater insecurity this brings.  Against this backdrop, it is important that they save and invest to provide the certainty and security that may be otherwise missing.”

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Only 52% of graduates get graduate-level jobs, CIPD reveals

UK universities should be prevented from charging the maximum level of tuition fees unless they deliver better graduate outcomes, a new report from the CIPD has recommended ahead of the Budget next week.

‘The graduate employment gap: expectations versus reality’ shows that just half (52%) of graduates secure a graduate-level job six months after they finish their course. The Government’s official figure is inflated to 77% by including ‘associate professional and technical occupations’ such as dancers, choreographers, fitness instructors, youth and community workers, despite the ONS stating that these jobs ‘do not require a degree’.

The findings call into question the current balance between the Government’s investment in university education relative to the investment in the UK’s under-funded vocational and adult skills education pathways.

The report also shows that the continued focus on boosting graduate qualification rates in the UK appears to have had little effect on productivity, with the UK languishing in sixteenth place in GDP per hour among OECD countries, despite having the fifth highest proportion of residents educated to degree level.

Lizzie Crowley, skills adviser at the CIPD, said, “As we look ahead to the Budget next week, the Government should consider linking tuition fees to graduate destination data in order to prevent higher education institutions charging top rate fees while delivering bottom rate outcomes.

“This report shows that the preoccupation of successive governments with boosting graduate numbers is leading to high levels of over-qualification and potentially skills mismatches, which the OECD suggests undermines productivity growth. Many people in ‘graduate jobs’ are actually in roles that don’t require degrees, and with the spiralling costs of university students need to ask themselves whether a degree path is the best route into their career.

“We need much better careers advice and guidance to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed decisions, alongside high quality alternative vocational routes into employment that offer routes other than university education.”

The research also finds a clear gender pay disparity for recent graduates, even if they study the same course at a top ten university.

The findings were consistent across subject area, with male graduates enjoying a higher salary regardless of the areas of study looked at in the research. The research showed that, six months after graduation:

  • More than a quarter (28%) of male law graduates were earning £30k+, compared with just over one in ten (14%) female law graduates
  • Nearly three-quarters (71%) of male medicine and dentistry graduates were earning £30k+, compared to three in five (62%) female graduates
  • More than half (54%) male veterinary sciences graduates were earning £30k+, compared with just two in five (39%) female graduates
  • Female graduates who managed to secure a job in the top occupational band (managers and senior officials) were almost twice as likely to be paid less than £20,000 as their male counterparts, with 25% of women in this category compared with 15% of men

Crowley added, “It has long been claimed that the differential in pay between male and female graduates was to do with their chosen subjects of study, but this data proves that the gender pay gap is baked in from the point of graduation. Regardless of what women study, or indeed where they study, they are paid less than their male peers.

“If we are going to eliminate the gender pay gap then employers need to ensure they are paying fairly right across their organisation from day one, including among recent graduates.”

Finally, the research also reveals that, despite a strong government focus on boosting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, STEM graduates are more likely to be unemployed six months after graduation than graduates from other disciplines. Compared to a national unemployment rate of 4.9%, STEM graduate unemployment rates are:

  • 8.6%% for computer science graduates
  • 6.5% for physical science graduates
  • 6% for engineering and technology graduates
  • 6.5% for mathematical science graduates

Crowley said, “The Government has continually focused on boosting STEM skills, and encouraging graduates to pursue those subjects at university, but that investment doesn’t appear to be translating into better graduate outcomes.

“Until we address this problem, and do more to identify the core skills that make STEM subjects so valuable, additional investment in STEM risks being wasted.”

Commenting on the CIPD report, Dr David Docherty, CEO of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), and Chairman of Placer, said, “Employers are crying out for graduates with vital science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills. Therefore, it’s worrying to see that despite an increased focus on STEM education, many graduates in this area are still unemployed six months after graduating.

“It is vital we urgently improve the employability skills of all graduates, particularly those in STEM, to support young people as they move from education into the workplace. One critical part of the solution is improved access to quality work experience for undergraduates so that talented students can enter the labour market more quickly.

“Recognising a significant gap between the availability of work experience opportunities and the number of students in the UK, we’ve developed new technology for employers and students, as a practical step to tackle the issue. Placer, a work experience app and platform developed in partnership with Jisc and Unite Students, offers a structured and scalable solution to ensure the next generation of talent is workplace-ready.”

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PMP Recruitment launches Cordant Connect

PMP Recruitment, part of Cordant Group, has developed and launched a web application that allows candidates to register with the company from home. Cordant Connect will also dramatically cut the time it takes for candidates to go through the on-boarding process within the PMP operation by up to 90%.

Up until now, job seekers wishing to register with the agency have visited one of PMP’s 20 branches across the UK. Designed to increase convenience and accessibility, Cordant Connect speeds up the registration process for candidates seeking work placements, whilst also allowing PMP’s in-branch teams more time to focus on the candidate experience and match job seekers with most suitable employment opportunities, especially in the lead-up to the busy peak season.

The web application – which is optimised for smartphones and tablets – also gives candidates the option to automatically upload photographic proof of the necessary ID documentation online, rather than photocopying their passports or driving licences in branch. Following the online registration process, candidates will only require a short face-to-face appointment with PMP staff to verify information ahead of any work placement.

Designed by a team of in-house developers, Cordant Connect has been initially rolled out for PMP, ahead of a more extensive implementation across Cordant Group at a later date. Moving forward, the development team will also increase the functionality of web application to include live-time and attendance reports, scheduling of rosters and dynamic work availability management.

Jamie Reynolds, managing director of PMP Recruitment, said, “It is our intention to make the registration process as easy and simple as possible, offering job seekers increased flexibility. Cordant Connect is a fantastic online tool that will significantly boost candidate engagement, whilst driving increased efficiency across our business. We have worked in close collaboration with a number of colleague forums within our sectors, taking on-board their vital feedback to shape and finalise a tool that will make a substantial difference to our business on a day-to-day basis.”

Take a look at the tool here.

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The importance of customer service within recruitment

A report by McKinsey revealed that 70 per cent of customers reduce their commitment to a sale following a negative customer service experience. But, customer service isn’t just important for the retail sector. Here, Claire Leigh, director of commercial and financial specialist recruitment agency, Brampton Recruitment, explains why good customer service is essential at every interaction for all businesses.

 

Recruitment consultants are in constant contact with both clients and candidates and must be aware of the need to deliver outstanding customer service to both groups.

 

Recruiters often talk about candidate’s communication skills, but it is their own skills that are at the forefront of ensuring customer satisfaction. The importance of managing expectations, alongside staying in touch with clients and candidates, cannot be overestimated. Good customer service doesn’t just have to be a phone call. An email can work just as well in ensuring a customer’s experience is a good one.

 

Brampton Recruitment’s website’s job alert function means candidates can choose to receive updates within 24 hours of a job becoming available, enabling them to be ahead of the crowd when applying for competitive opportunities. A fast turnaround is also advantageous for the client, who often needs the vacancy filled as soon as possible.

 

Experience

Although similar skills are used to ensure clients and candidates have positive experiences, how they are used differs.

 

Excellent client experiences centre on building a relationship with the client to understand their business goals and objectives, which in turn allows us to find the right candidate.

 

Specific ways in which we provide this at Brampton Recruitment include working later on a Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure we are reachable outside of office hours, in addition to consultants being available even when they are out of the office. These tactics mean our clients are confident they can always get in touch with a consultant if they require advice or need to follow up on an interview.

 

 

Candidates

It is not a revelation to suggest the best way to provide exemplary customer service to clients is to provide them with outstanding candidates and vice versa. Building relationships by providing excellent customer service when interacting with candidates is just as important as for clients.

 

Plentiful resources designed to aid job seekers are found on our brand-new website, including dedicated guides to CV writing and interviews, processes we know candidates worry about. Alongside a powerful search function, allowing candidates to see only the jobs which are relevant to them, either by location or skill set, the website gives a complete solution for job seekers.

 

Despite a wealth of information online, some candidates prefer to meet recruiters face to face and so running events such as CV workshops and refer-a-friend events are invaluable as they allow us to build a relationship with the candidate. This means we are able to place the candidate in the ideal role, best suited to their individual needs.

 

Recognising the individuality of each candidate and client is also integral to delivering a positive customer service experience. Some candidates, such as those currently in work, might prefer to carry out as much of their job application online as possible.

 

This is why, in addition to searches, job alerts and online guides, our new website includes an option for online tests. Traditionally, any online tests required by a prospective employer would have to be completed during an interview, or at their recruitment agency’s office.

 

With the online test function on the website, a candidate can securely take a test at their own convenience in their own home, reducing the anxiety and inconvenience often associated with testing.

 

Ensuring both clients and candidates receive a high level of customer service is integral to the success of most businesses, including recruitment agencies.

 

The ultimate goal to find the perfect candidate for the role as quickly and efficiently as possible, is the holy grail of recruitment and centres around customer service. In order to achieve this, agencies and individual consultants need to have customer service at the forefront of their mind.

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Work experience more important than degree level to graduate recruiters, finds research

Almost 80% of graduate recruiters consider work experience one of the most important factors on a graduate CV, ahead of degree level, the relevancy of the course, or the standard of university.

According to recent research by Pareto, 77% of graduate recruiters place work experience as one of the most important factors on graduate job applications, with just two in five considering the level of the degree into recruitment decisions and only 7% factoring in the standard of university.

Only a demonstrable skill set (87%) was more sought-after than work experience, with evidence of communication, problem-solving and leadership being the most desired by recruiters.

Aspects recruiters would be happy to compromise on included any evidence of travelling or information on sports club memberships and societies, despite their potential to demonstrate desirable skills such as initiative (sought by 38% of recruiters) or leadership (41%) respectively.

The research also revealed that 47% of recruiters will skip straight to the work experience section of a candidate’s CV or application. Only a quarter (27%) would first look at the education section, and despite looking for applicants to demonstrate a certain set of skills, only one in ten recruiters would look there first.

Suzie Berry, head of candidate experience at Pareto, said, “While the emphasis placed on work experience clearly outweighs that of any other aspect of a graduate job application, the opportunity to develop skills that translate to the workplace through education, training and other extra-curricular endeavours should not be dismissed.”

When asked to give candidates one piece of advice when applying for graduate jobs, 80% mentioned the word ‘experience’. The opportunities for students, however, are not necessarily available. In 2016, the top 100 biggest recruiters of graduates offered over 14,000 work experience places among them, which equates to less than one place for every 30 students in UK.

Berry added, “Work experience is clearly a ‘must-have’ for most graduate recruiters, as it shows a familiarity with the workplace and a drive to seek experience outside of a candidate’s university studies. But when work placements and opportunities are at such a premium, there has to be an allowance that some candidates have lesser access to the experience employers are seeking.”

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

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What happens to all those LinkedIn contacts when your employee leaves?

Lucy Tarrant, managing director & solicitor of Cognitive Law

Pretty much every recruitment company I act for encourages its consultants to use social media to promote their business. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn; consultants seek out and make new contacts and connections as a fundamental part of their business activity on a daily basis. LinkedIn has even developed its Recruiter tool to capitalise on the way consultants now do business.

But what about if your consultant leaves? What happens post employment to all those LinkedIn contacts? Who owns what and what you can do to protect what you own?

When an employee leaves your company, LinkedIn could be a huge potential threat to you as your ex-employee can notify all their contacts at the same time of their new position, just by updating their profile. It would simply appear on their contacts’ LinkedIn news feed. There is no better or more immediate way for an ex-employee to simultaneously notify all their contacts of their new role, which could well be in direct competition with you.

Before the world of social media and networking sites such as LinkedIn existed, the position regarding ownership of a company’s contacts and databases was fairly straightforward. On the whole materials created during the course of employment were of a confidential nature and deemed to be the employer’s proprietary information. However, when it comes to contacts made via social media the position has not been so clear cut.

As with other social medial services, when an individual opens a LinkedIn account it requires them to enter into a contract with LinkedIn agreeing not to transfer ownership to any other person and to keep the password confidential. Your employee will therefore own the LinkedIn account and is not permitted to give ownership to you as their employer. The question is not therefore who owns the account, that’s clear – it’s your employee, but who owns the contacts. Are the contacts obtained during employment classed as confidential information owned by the employer? Or are they owned by the employee because it’s their account?

The first case in the UK to bring to the fore the risk of appropriation of company confidential information via online networking sites was Hays Specialist Recruitment (Holdings) Ltd and Ions [2008].

Ions was employed by Hays from 2001 to 2007, when he left to set up his own rival agency. He was suspected of using confidential information concerning clients and contacts copied during his employment from the social networking site, LinkedIn and breaching restrictive covenants in his contact of employment. Hays inspected Ions’ email account once he had left and found evidence that he had invited two of Hays’ clients to join his LinkedIn network and they had well-founded suspicions that there were more.

Hays sought an order from the High Court for pre-action disclosure of Ions’ entire database of, and communications with, business contacts made whilst employed by Hays. They claimed that this information was confidential. In response, and in relation to contacts he had made on LinkedIn, Ions argued that once the contact had accepted his invitation on LinkedIn it ceased to be confidential. The Court rejected this argument and ordered Ions to disclose all his LinkedIn business contacts as requested by Hays, plus all emails sent or received through his LinkedIn account from Hay’s computer network. The view taken by the Court was that even if the contacts were uploaded with the consent of Hays, such authorisation was likely to be limited for the purposes of employment.

In this case the law made a clear distinction between ownership of an account such as LinkedIn and ownership of the information within the account, the latter of which was retained by Hays.

Another similar and more recent case, albeit outside of recruitment, is Whitmar Publications Ltd v Gamage, Wright, Crawley and Earth Island Publishing Ltd [2013]. This looks not just at contacts made on LinkedIn but at Groups too.

The Defendants Gamage, Wright and Crawley left Whitmar Publications to pursue their own business – Earth Island Publishing Limited. In its case against them, Whitmar alleged that the individual Defendants had taken steps to compete against the company while still employed by it. Whitmar alleged that they had misused Whitmar’s confidential information, its database rights and breached their terms of employment. Within that confidential information fell LinkedIn Groups which had been managed by one or more of the individual Defendants.

In relation to the LinkedIn Groups, Whitmar claimed that whilst they had been managed by Wright on behalf of Whitmar during her employment, the Defendants had used the Groups for the benefit of their competing business (Earth Island) while still employed by Whitmar. Whitmar sought an order from the High Court for an interim injunction to prevent the Defendants from using, exploiting or divulging to any third party any of the information contained in these LinkedIn Groups.

The Court agreed that Whitmar had a strong case that the individual Defendants had been actively competing against Whitmar while still employed by it, in breach of the terms of their employment.  Further, the Court rejected Wright’s claim that the LinkedIn Groups were personal to her and merely a hobby. Wright was responsible for dealing with the LinkedIn Groups as part of her employment duties at Whitmar. The groups were operated for Whitmar’s benefit and promoted its business, as evidenced by the fact that Wright had used Whitmar’s computers to carry out her work on the LinkedIn Groups. The Court also agreed that information contained within the LinkedIn Groups appeared to have been used as the source of the email addresses used to publicize an Earth Island launch event.

Ultimately, the court granted an order requiring the Defendants to facilitate the exclusive access, management and control of the LinkedIn Groups to Whitmar. It ordered the Defendants not to access or do anything that would prevent Whitmar from accessing the Groups. The order prevented the Defendants from using, exploiting or divulging to any third party any of the information contained in the Groups. So we can see that the contents of Groups created by employees on LinkedIn during employment also amount to confidential information belonging to the employer.

The cases above demonstrate that as different online networks become more and more important to certain businesses, employers should make it clear to employees which LinkedIn and other social network resources, blogs and online forums are operated by the employees solely in the course of their employment; and to what extent the information in such accounts belongs to the employer, in contrast to what remains personally owned by the employee.

So what can you do to prevent your recruitment company from suffering like Hays or Whitmar? We have established that the law states that private contact information gained during the course of employment can constitute confidential information belonging to the employer, as opposed to general contact details available from the public domain cannot.

The best form of protection for an employer is to have clear provisions in its employment contracts and a Social Media Policy. Recruitment companies need to make it clear how their consultants should use such online tools in the course of their employment and implement clear policies that set out precisely what data they retain as their own property and confidential information.

Other provisions in the consultants’ employment contracts and the company’s Social Media Policy should include that all new LinkedIn contacts’ details will be uploaded to the company’s client database, that contacts made during the course of employment constitute Confidential Information belonging to the company, that the consultant must delete all LinkedIn contacts made as a result of their duties when they leave the company and that LinkedIn contacts cannot be used for the purpose of competing with the company. Those provisions can be reinforced in Job Descriptions that also state that an employee is to establish LinkedIn connections for the employer’s benefit.

Obviously none of this is fool proof and the cynics amongst you will recognise that even if all the provisions in the world are artfully crafted into employment contracts and handbooks there will always be a consultant who will flout them and run off with that data. That can’t be stopped. Unfortunately that will always be within human nature. What you can do though is make it a lot harder for the errant consultant to do that and a lot easier for you to stop them.

Cognitive Law’s solicitors fully utilise their wealth of experience gained working within the recruitment industry, and are well placed to assist if you think your Social Media Policy or Confidential Information provisions in your employment contracts require shoring up.

Cognitive Law T 0333 400 4499  lucy.tarrant@cognitivelaw.co.uk

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Know how to take a complete job brief

By James Caan

Taking a job spec is a fundamental part of the recruitment process and in my view most placements that fall at the last hurdle do so because of the information, or lack of, that you received at this stage.

In this piece I’ll explain what techniques to use to identify a job opportunity and also how to qualify the brief too. If you ask the right questions, in a friendly and efficient manner, you will set yourself up for success.

One technique I’ve often found useful over the years is to compose a list of excellent candidates for your field of expertise and use them as a hook to open a conversation with a potential new client. For example, when a new client answers the phone, open with a friendly line and introduce yourself. Explain why you’re calling and outline the skillset of your ‘top grade’ candidates and explain that they are looking for opportunities with a business such as theirs. Then ask if they have any vacancies at present for candidates at that level. If they do not you can still make good use of the conversation by asking what levels they are looking for at the moment.

To be a successful recruiter, you must use each conversation as a means of expanding your network, and even if the client is too busy for you to take a proper brief then, ensure you arrange a time to call them back and spend at least 20 minutes so that you can understand as much as possible about the opportunity.

A client who will not take the time to discuss the brief properly with you might also not be worth the time you’ll invest in searching for the right candidate for them because you won’t have enough information to fulfill the brief and meet their expectations for the role. Transparency is key during this stage in the process.

Once they’ve agreed to give you the briefing slot you need to take all the details, you can then take the brief in detail.

Key things you’ll need to learn from this conversation include:

  1. Job Title
  2. Package: salary bracket and staff benefits
  3. Determine if the package meets current market trends and candidate expectations
  4. Check if the budget has been signed off for the role and whether they will consider more senior or junior candidates
  5. Ask what recent event led to position being open and if this is a new role then it’s an even more exciting opportunity for a candidate to consider

There are some more detailed questions you can cover too which will help find the right cultural fit for the organisation:

  1. Top five companies they would like to hire from
  2. Where have the last 3 hires come from and also ask why they were successful
  3. Working environment
  4. Team structure
  5. Chain of command
  6. Where does the new hire fit in?
  7. Is it a fast-paced role?
  8. What will they use to measure success?
  9. How many people work for the organisation?
  10. Information on the team:
  11. Size of department
  12. Mix of experience in the team
  13. Team dynamics
  14. The client’s ideal personality profile

The key thing here is to establish the key requirements for the role and this is the most important question you will ask when taking the job spec.

Don’t forget to ask if anyone else is involved in the hiring process. I’ve often gone through the entire process and then there is a final hurdle of an additional decision maker who I have had no contact with throughout the process who needs the same level of detail and time to ensure they feel happy with the decision to hire my candidate. This can cause delays and end up with them losing the candidate to another employer. Therefore it’s worthwhile ensuring you know who all the key players are from the beginning.

When you have all the information outlined above you can begin closing the call. Reassure your new client that you’re in a good position to find a candidate that will fit their requirements and the culture of the company. Also, don’t forget to cross sell within your business and offer the opportunity to hire a freelancer for the interim while you search.

While closing the conversation take down some final key details to help your search by asking what the candidate should expect from their interview process. Identify all the timings involved, number of interviews and agree next steps.  This is also the best time to agree or negotiate your fee.

Be sure you are familiar with your terms and conditions of business and send them over for the new client to sign before you conduct your search. Don’t forget to organise a client visit too, this will really support your search especially when cultural fit is so crucial for the hiring process today.

Ultimately, the taking of a job brief will lead to a successful placement if you are thorough and build rapport. The more information you have, the quicker you will source the candidate. Cutting corners will only lead to delays and frustrations later in the process. Let your personality shine through, you will experience a much easier, more efficient and much more enjoyable road towards success.

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Diverse workforce is more productive and active at workplace

By Advance Systems

 

Diversity in the workplace is something that should be celebrated and not feared. There’s a tendency for some old fashioned businesses to hire people that are all similar. White, middle-class, males are typically the most hired people in the country. However, a business can benefit from having a diverse workforce.

 

By having diverse employees, a company can see an increase in workplace productivity. And, they can see their employees becoming more active at work too. Listed below are a few reasons that back up this point and prove diversity is brilliant:

 

More Lines Of Thought
If you have a company full of similar people, then they’ll think in similar ways. Everyone will have shared the same experiences and come from the same backgrounds. With a diverse workforce, you have a group of people from different backgrounds. As a result, you end up with a variety of brains that think in different ways. They can provide thoughts that you wouldn’t get with a workforce full of similar people. With more lines of thought comes new ways of doing things. New suggestions can be made to help improve workplace productivity. All in all, your office becomes more productive because there are so many new ideas flying about all the time.
Higher Staff Morale
When people come from different backgrounds, they tend to relate to one another quite well. They share a common goal; trying to make it in a world where they’re often overlooked. So, if a diverse workforce works together, then staff morale is very high. In turn, this leads to a happy workplace, which results in increased productivity. And, when everyone is happy and getting along with one another, it means they’ll stay in the business. Furthermore, they’re less likely to take time off and will come into work every day. Take a look at your workforce management software if you have a diverse workforce. I bet you’ll find that very few of your employees have had time off. Also, look at their time and attendance, I’m willing to bet they’ll be in work on time, every day of the week. High staff morale encourages people to work hard for a company and come to work on time.
Diverse Set Of Skills
Another great thing a diverse workforce can boast is an increased skill set. When you hire lots of different people, you get lots of different skills. It’s far better than hiring a bunch of people that can all do the same thing. What’s the point in that? You’re just taking up space on your payroll with a load of employees that are all providing the same skillset. Diversity means people will be good at certain things. You can have one person that’s an expert in one business area, like marketing. Then, you have another person that’s exceptional at closing sales and speaking to customers. What you end up with is an entire team of people that have their own unique strengths and skills. This results in high productivity levels and a more active workplace.
Greater Customer Understanding
Diverse workers provide you with greater customer understanding. When you have a range of people working for you, then you’ve got people that can relate to your target market. The more diverse your workforce is, the more they’re likely to understand your customers. By having a better understanding, it means they can get more work done and keep the customers flowing in. This leads to a productive business that retains customers all the time. If you don’t have diverse employees, then you don’t have a big chance of empathizing with the customer.
As you can see, having a diverse workforce will benefit every business. Not only do they lead to an increase in productivity, but they also make a company much better. It can improve your brand image if you’re seen to be hiring a diverse array of staff. People will start to look at your business as very forward thinking and modern. As a result, you find that consumers are more attracted to your brand and like what you’re doing.
So, it’s important that you try and hire a diverse team of workers. Take a look at your HR software and see your employee database. Companies like Advance Systems provide HR software that lets you see all of your employee’s details. This can let you see what type of people you employ. You may find that you don’t have a diverse workforce, so can work on hiring different people. Then, you’ll see a more productive and active business.

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Talent Solutions

TALiNT Partners and Stratigens Join Forces to Revolutionize Talent Intelligence Solutions

TALiNT Partners and Stratigens are proud to announce a strategic partnership which will provide an unparalleled range of talent intelligence solutions to the needs of our members, partners and clients.

Alison Ettridge, CEO of Stratigens said “Companies do research on their customers, their markets and their competitors to inform decisions all the time. With Stratigens, they can now do research on the greatest asset –access to the workforce and people they need to deliver their strategy. Our partnership with TALiNT Partners will support our mission of putting human capital at the heart of business decision making. We are really excited about working with the team to overlay the insight that TALiNT Partners’ network brings with labour market data to empower HR, TA and business leaders to make critical strategic decisions.”

Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners added “for some time we have been looking for a partner to support the insight generated by our network with global workplace data to bring a unique offering to the market. Stratigens is the perfect partner to help us achieve this and together we look forward to continuing to help raise capability in how employers find and keep the people they need, and how staffing and talent solutions providers can better support their clients.”

About Stratigens

Stratigens software is helping the world’s best companies make smarter decisions about where to grow, who to hire from and the diversity of their workforce. We join the dots between the labour market, economics and locations. Putting human capital intelligence at the heart of decision making.

We live in a world rich with skills and geo economic data, but the data is messy, unstructured, big and in thousands of places. Stratigens uses the latest in machine learning and big data to gather, extract, categorise and label the data, and put it into a format that’s easy to digest. So our clients can make smarter, faster, more informed decisions.

Stratigens – https://www.stratigens.com

About TALiNT Partners

TALiNT Partners connects the talent ecosystem. We bring together a global network of leading employers and solution providers to make better talent and technology decisions. Providing intelligence, insight and peer-to-peer networking that drives quality, innovation and improves inclusion across the talent ecosystem

TALiNT Partners – https://talintpartners.com/

 

If you would like to know more about the partnership, please contact Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners, ken@talintpartners.com

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Nash Squared acquires Het Flexhuis

Acquisition strengthens Nash Squared as a major MSP

Nash Squared, a provider of talent and technology solutions, has become a major force in Managed Service Provision with its recent acquisition of Het Flexhuis – a Managed Service Provider (MSP) of talent and recruitment services based in The Netherlands.

Het Flexhuis has a strong track record in delivering outsourced recruitment services for government, public services, and commercial organisations and will operate as an independent brand within Nash Squared’s recruitment business Harvey Nash.

Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Het Flexhuis into the Nash Squared family. It is our vision to help our clients access talent and technology in every way possible, and offering a high quality MSP solution is an important next step for us. Het Flexhuis brings enormous experience and expertise with them, and I am excited by the potential.”

Occo Lijding, MD of Harvey Nash The Netherlands, commented: “This represents a step change in how we can help and support our clients in talent and technology. I have long admired the team at Het Flexhuis, and when we met I was struck by how similar our values and ambitions were. They are the perfect fit for us, and I look forward to working with them.”

Frederieke Schmidt Crans, Managing Director, Het Flexhuis commented: “We are thrilled and excited to become part of Nash Squared. Our company was established ten years ago with a mission to create a world-class MSP with great people and processes at its core. We see joining Nash Squared as the natural next chapter in that success story.”

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Adzuna acquires job search engine Getwork

Search engines combine forces to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in the US

On Tuesday, 14 June, Adzuna announced their acquisition of the US job search engine Getwork.

The Getwork team, under the leadership of Brad Squibb, will be working alongside the Adzuna team, intending to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in North America.

Getwork links job seekers with vacant roles at North American companies by indexing millions of verified jobs daily directly from tens of thousands of employer career sites.

Adzuna, with headquarters in London, UK, Indianapolis, IN, and Sydney, AU, uses AI-powered technology to match people to jobs. The company has recently launched in Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Mexico. Their operations now cover 20 markets globally.

The two companies will operate as independent brands with their own established communities.

Doug Monro, CEO, and Co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “Adzuna acquiring Getwork will help us supercharge our growth in North America. The Getwork team’s stellar reputation for great service and delivery has led them to be trusted by an impressive roster of household name companies in the US. It’s also a great fit as their team and mission are so aligned with ours. The US enterprise market is crying out for strong alternatives to existing offerings and we’re looking forward to combining Adzuna’s marketing expertise, global footprint and programmatic job matching technology with Getwork’s deep industry knowledge and reputation to deliver even better for our customers. The US is the fastest-growing part of our business and this acquisition will accelerate our profitable growth trajectory.”

Brad Squibb, President of Getwork, comments: “Adzuna is a truly global business, operating across 20 countries, which creates an exciting opportunity for us to scale into new markets with the help of a brand that has already paved the way for international expansion. We can’t wait to join Doug and the team on this journey.”

 

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UK companies lack focus on diversity, survey reveals

Despite efforts there is still massive room for improvement in UK management and reporting

In research released today, findings reveal a lack of focus on progressing diversity in the workplace. In the study conducted by SD Worx, it was found that while 68% of UK companies are committed to removing unconscious bias in the recruitment process, many have failed to implement a reporting system to track progress on meeting ED&I objectives.

The survey revealed that only 26% of UK companies evaluate managerial commitment to achieving ED&I-related objectives. A further 32% admitted having no systems allowing employees to report discrimination.

The UK ranked third in its commitment to removing unconscious bias at 68% when it comes to ranking. Ireland ranked first at 74%, with Belgium coming in second, at 69%.

As far as rankings for equal access to training, the UK is slightly lower than other countries, with 64% of companies investing in equal access to training and development. Ireland (72%), Belgium (71%), and Poland (69%) topped the list.

While 64% of UK companies include transparency about ED&I goals and actions to attract a diverse workforce in their mission statement and corporate values, only 60% of the UK companies surveyed said that they promote ED&I in job advertisements, social media, and their websites.

The survey also revealed that countries vary in their level of focus concerning educating and involving managers in their ED&I policies. For example, in the UK, 60% of companies stated that they actively involve their managers in ED&I policies, and 60% provide internal training on the topic.

Colette Philp, UK HR Country Lead at SD Worx commented: “It’s no longer enough for businesses to say they prioritise diversity and inclusion. Instead, they must prove their commitment to achieving a more diverse workforce, both internally within their business and externally to attract talent.”

“There is more awareness than ever before regarding diversity in the workplace and it’s a deciding factor for many when it comes to searching for a role or staying with a business. A diverse workforce brings new experiences and perspectives and an inclusive environment allows individuals to thrive. If businesses aren’t already putting ED&I as a top priority, it’s essential they act now to do so.”

Jurgen Dejonghe, Portfolio Manager SD Worx Insights, added: “It’s important that companies start investing in an active reporting system about their actions concerning diversity, equality and inclusion. On the one hand, that data offers a strong basis for optimising the diversity policy with concrete and consciously controlled actions. On the other hand, such a system also provides clear evidence whether companies are effectively putting their money where their mouth is and not making false promises to (future) employees.”

For ED&I initiatives to be successful, change needs to come from the top, with proper rollouts and reporting system to track their progress.

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