March 15, 2005
| Job market optimism |
FIRMS are optimistic about creating jobs, with the brightest outlook in construction and transport, according to a new report today.
But pressure to find the right staff is leading to the prospect of increased wage inflation, a survey of 2,000 employers found.
The labour market is 'positive and stable', with three out of four firms planning to maintain their staffing levels.
Mark Cahill, managing director of employment firm Manpower, said its research showed a picture of stability, adding: 'The strong labour market indicates that employees are happy to move jobs, while employers are happy to replace them.
'However, there is a prospect of growing wage inflation as the labour market tightens.'
Firms in most industries surveyed said they planned to take on workers in the next few months, especially those in construction, transport and communications. Utilities was the only sector expected to cut jobs.
The study, however, also revealed fewer London firms plan to hire new staff than at any time in the past five years. It showed a net 5% of firms intend to increase head count over the next three months - the lowest balance since 2000. The national average was 15%.
The report said a skills shortages was pushing up wages in the capital, making firms think twice about taking on more staff. In particular, pay for top secretaries, sales managers and account managers was said to be soaring.
The fear of higher wages has given the Bank of England monetary policy committee food for thought. A pick-up in pay inflation would increase the pressure for further rate rises. Most economists expect the next hike, to 5%, to come in May.
Meanwhile Public Recruitment Group, which specialises in education, health care and social work jobs, reported full-year turnover had leapt to £53.8m from £22.8m a year earlier as it cashed in on the boom in public sector employment.
The Aim-listed company, which saw profits more than double to £1.5m from £0.7m, says the outlook was positive for all three of its sectors.
Posted by Mark at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
| Online recruitment on the rise |
An increasing number of employers and job seekers are turning to the Internet to fulfil their employment needs, according to new research.
From Netimperative
The National Online Recruitment Audience Survey (NORAS), conducted by Enhance Media, found that 64% of those applying for a job found online obtained an interview and 51% of those obtaining an interview got a job as a result of the interview.
These figures are up from 59% and 44% in 2004 and show the increasing effectiveness of the internet as a recruitment tool.
NORAS shows that online job seekers broadly mirror the UK population in terms of ethnic background. 83% of candidates are from a white ethnic group (British, Irish, European or other.) 4% are from a black ethnic group, 5% from an Asian ethnic group, 2% mixed and 1% Chinese.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that online job seekers are becoming more experienced. The average work experience of online job seekers has increased year on year to 13 years with the average age being 33.
One in 20 (5%) of those using the internet to look for jobs are Chief Executives, Owners or Directors and 30% are Senior Managers or Managers.
Job seekers also displayed an increasing brand loyalty and knowledge, with the average number of sites visited by a candidate when looking for a job decreasing year on year to 6. 11% of repeat visitors choose to visit a particular site because they have previously got an interview or a job through the site.
NORAS is being supported by industry organisations such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB,) the Association of online publishers (AOP) and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR.)
NORAS winter 2005 took place from September to November 2004. Each participant received a detailed demographic profile of their users; this data was collected using Survey.com’s pop-up technology and was conducted among 18,235 job seekers. ABC ELECTRONIC certified Unique User figures in order to provide the site with robust user numbers.
1. job sites participated in the study, including Blue Arrow, fish4jobs, jobs.telegraph.co.uk, mad.co.uk, Times Online - Jobs, and Totaljobs.com
Posted by Mark at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2005
| Consulting candidates vote BLT best Management Consultancy recruitment firm for 4th consecutive year |
Over 1,000 management consultancy candidates took part in Top-Consultant.com’s latest annual recruitment channel survey, now in its fourth year of publication. The 2005 results, presented today to an audience of 140 management consultancy recruiters, provide the only comprehensive picture of the changing candidate behaviour that has transformed the management consultancy recruitment sector during the last years.
Amongst the survey results are an assessment of the reach and market share of newspapers, job boards, recruitment agencies, corporate sites and referral schemes for attracting consulting candidates. The detailed findings are to be reported in the next edition of Top-Consultant's sister publication Consulting Times, but for the benefit of candidates and clients the recruitment consultancy rankings are reported here.
2005
RankFirm 2004
Rank1 BLR 2 Michael Page 3= Prism 3= Astbury Marsden 5= Woodhurst 5= Hudson 7= Korn Ferry 7= Heidrick & Struggles 9 Harvey Nash 10= EM Consulting 10= Selecture 10= Hays 10= PSD 10= Freshminds 10= Hoggett Bowers 10= Egon Zehnder
The results reflect feedback from the 1,000+ candidates polled for the survey, predominantly consultants with major consulting firms like Accenture, BCG, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM Business Consulting, McKinsey and PA Consulting Group. BLT emerged once again as candidates' preferred recruitment agency, an accolade they have now won four straight years in a row. Candidates praised BLT's professionalism, understanding of the consulting industry and their friendly and helpful staff as key differentiators.
Michael Page, Prism and Woodhurst have again performed strongly and retain top spots in the 2005 survey - whilst Astbury Marsden and Hudson have both built up a strong candidate following during the last year.
Posted by Mark at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2005
| Ingredients for success |
Believe in yourself
Match your CV to the job
Approach companies direct
Read the news sections for your industry area. Get yourself knowledgable and enthusiastic.
Be patient, positive, clear-thinking and determined.
Posted by Mark at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)
| Ask not what a company can do for you... |
Dear Susan,
In my search for work, I have sent out many résumés and had several interviews. I wrote an extensive résumé pouring out my work history. When I go to the interview, I am asked more questions and am often given little time to ask questions myself.
I am bothered by how little information the recruiting companies disclose about themselves during the interviews. Shouldn't the company provide a résumé of its own, stating the history of the company, its accomplishments and a short covering letter regarding its requirements of the employee?
-- In the Dark
Dear In the Dark,
Your question reminds me of the exploits of a young family member who shall remain unnamed. On a quest for summer employment, she dropped off several dozen résumés to prospective employers around town. Ten days went by without a word. When I queried how her follow-up calls were going, she looked astonished. "Why would I call? They have my CV with my contact information on it. If they were interested, they would call me."
That wasn't the first time I had to shatter her illusions and now I'll have to do the same for you. Unless you are Bill Gates or a newly minted orthopedic surgeon, you have to market yourself to the employer, not vice versa. Your role is to convince the company you are indispensable to them and doing your homework before the interview is critical to your sales pitch.
You can research the employer via the company's web site, by searching the company's name on the web, through public documents in the library and via your network. Openings are usually posted on a company's web site, but if it's a small, private company without a site, you can call to request the job requirements well before the interview stage. You'll know then whether you fit the bill and how to present yourself as "the one."
That's how Sara Nixon, a marketing co-ordinator at an international negotiation and coaching firm, landed her job. Ms. Nixon resolved to set herself apart from the competition with an unusual ploy. She created a prototype of a company newsletter complete with a fictional corporate logo, an article about the company's goals and another one about herself.
"I thought, if I were doing the marketing for this company, what would I do?," she said, one year into the job.
Not everyone has the moxie to create a marketing vehicle for a company they haven't worked for yet, especially when in the doldrums of a job search. It's an exhausting, demoralizing business.
Being handed an information packet that includes everything you ever wanted to know about the position and the employer would be lovely. Being given the time to ask a few thoughtful questions during the interview is simply courteous. But going into the process expecting both is setting yourself up for a fall.
Posted by Mark at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
| Why recruitment advertising is falling away |
There could be worrying times ahead for media owners that rely on recruitment advertising.
Jobs data has ceased to enjoy any prominence in the UK business pages, as near full employment under the New Labour Government has been a real pillar of its economic policy.
In the printed world, recruitment advertising is a core revenue stream. It is important for two key markets – the national and regional newspapers and also for the B2B marketplace.
It should not be taken lightly, therefore, when the Advertising Association in its review of advertising expenditure published in January 2005 spends quite so much time in explaining why, despite economic strength, it still expects revenues in 2005 from recruitment advertising to "fall away, moving into the red by the middle of 2006".
They see the reason for this as being quite clear. They expect the development of the online recruitment agencies to significantly impact the demand for printed job ads. With approximately half of all national classified advertising being derived from situation vacant, this substitution will be an important pressure for national and regional advertising revenues.
Already we have seen Emap describe B2B advertising in the UK as "weak". While Emap has significant exposure to the public sector through the Nursing Times, other B2B advertisers with exposure to the private sector may also see revenue erosion.
This will come not only from the development of agencies' own websites but also as the underlying companies seeking to fill positions shift revenue from printed form to their own websites.
Now this begs the question as how this online substitution is captured in the overall AA data, and the extent therefore to which it represents a definitive loss of revenue to the sector. This will arise should online advertising prove to be cheaper and more efficient than the printed form.
Investors would be wise to look for those newspaper and B2B companies with a strong online presence that will protect against this trend. They should also be scouring the market for a good, strong online recruitment business that will become a target for one of the more threatened traditional publishers.
Posted by Mark at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
| Good news for Graduates: Salaries and Vacancies buoyant in 2005 |
The graduate job market continues to grow, according to research published today (Thursday 10 February 2005) by the AGR (Association of Graduate Recruiters).
The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2005 – a survey of some of the UK’s leading employers – reveals that the number of graduate positions is predicted to increase for the second year running, this year by 14.5%. Last year vacancies rose by 15.5%.
Graduate salaries also continue to rise. AGR employers are expecting to pay new graduates a median starting salary of £22,000 in 2005 – an increase of 4.8% on last year, the biggest predicted increase for five years.
The results are dominated by a huge increase in both salaries and vacancies in the accountancy sector, where graduate starting salaries in some parts of the UK are predicted to exceed £25,000 for the first time.
The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey is the definitive bi-annual barometer of the employment situation for graduates in the UK. The survey, carried out by High Fliers Research, is based on the responses of AGR members – many of the UK’s largest graduate recruiters in both public and private sectors. The research for this latest report was carried out during December 2004 and January 2005.
Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, comments: ‘The findings of our survey should bring a smile to the faces of final year students and recent graduates looking to enter graduate level employment this summer. Significant increases in vacancies this year; building on a substantial increase last year suggests that business confidence is high across most sectors.
‘Predicted salary increases of 4.8% are very generous and indicate that employers continue to recognise the value that top graduates bring to businesses. It also suggests that among recruiters competition for the best graduates is intensifying.
‘All the more surprising then, that some employers should find that they are not receiving as many high quality applications as they need to fill their increased recruitment targets. The report should act as a wake-up call to the graduate Class of 2005. They should seriously consider taking advantage of the buoyant graduate vacancy market now!’
The full survey report can be downloaded by members for free in the 'reports and surveys' section of the 'publications' tab. They will also receive a hard copy early next week. Non members can purchase the report for £200.
Posted by Mark at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
| 14 of the world's major consulting firms to exhibit at London careers fair |
A mixture of Senior Recruiters and practising Consultants from fourteen major consulting brands are now confirmed attendees at the first Top-Consultant Careers Fair, due to take place in London on 21st February. Originally planned to accommodate ten consultancies, demand from recruiters for additional places has been so high that the event has been extended to allow an additional four firms to participate. With so many prestigious consulting firms attending, it is anticipated that the remaining few candidate places will soon all be reserved too.
Following on from the careers events of 2004 which gave candidates the chance to meet a few consultancies in person, this first event of 2005 is more of a “speed recruiting” event, akin to the careers fairs one sees at Oxbridge campuses but targeted particularly at the experienced hires market.
Top-Consultant.com Director Tony Restell commented:
“This is a unique opportunity for candidates - within a matter of hours they can meet dozens of recruiters from leading consulting brands like Accenture, A.T. Kearney, Deloitte, IBM, Marakon Associates and PA Consulting. These firms are interested in meeting candidates from recent graduates right up to Partner level, making this the perfect chance to meet recruiters in person before embarking on the application process – and thereby maximising your chances of tailoring your application and securing your ideal role.”
The chance to meet such a range of firms has created a huge surge of interest amongst the Top-Consultant readership. Browsing a job board is one thing but it seems readers still value the chance to meet high-profile recruiters face-to-face. 150 consultants have already registered to attend and the remaining places are expected to be taken within the next 2 weeks.
On the recruiter side, the enthusiasm consultancies have shown to take part in the event is clearly a reflection of how much tighter they expect the recruitment market to become in the coming months – and also confirms the importance being attached to recruitment in 2005.
Posted by Mark at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2005
| Recruitment trends |
Employers in the UK are expressing their strongest New Year hiring intentions since records began, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
Mark Cahill, managing director at Manpower, stated: "The fact that UK employers are reporting their highest New Year levels of confidence since 1998 is great news. These figures are extremely positive, particularly as the first three months of the year are traditionally a quieter time for recruitment, as companies scale back after Christmas. With low levels of unemployment, it is very much a jobseekers' market and the opportunity is there for candidates to develop their experience and skills. In this climate, employers need to continue to review recruitment procedures and benefits packages in order to attract the best candidates."
Exhibitions are a great form of communicating to your target audience. Job Scene, organised by TJW Exhibitions is the largest series of recruitment, career, education and training events in the UK and guarantee an interactive atmosphere, perfect for meeting proactive candidates.
Job Scene exhibitions are held across the UK including London, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Basingstoke, Liverpool, Newport, Leeds, Reading, Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Newcastle.
With numerous exhibitors already taking advantage of this ideal recruitment environment and getting the results they are looking for it's guaranteed that your time out of the office will be well spent.
For more information contact TJW Exhibitions on 01823 250930 or visit www.jobsceneuk.co.uk
Posted by Mark at 05:24 PM | Comments (0)
| Flexible Working |
Bosses Urged To Keep Their Staff,
By Letting Them Get Away
The prospect of people resolving to start the New Year with a hunt for a new job is enough to strike fear into the hearts of most employers. Faced with losing a key staff member many companies’ first reaction is to reach for their chequebooks and offer a pay rise. But, according to new research, when dealing with people in professional and managerial roles, offering more flexible working hours is likely to be just as effective a solution.
While 88 per cent of over 250 UK professionals surveyed by management consultancy recruitment specialists, Woodhurst, say that, all other factors being equal, they would consider moving jobs for better pay, almost as many (84 per cent) would move simply to achieve more flexible working hours.
Geraint Evans, Managing Consultant at Woodhurst commented:
“This survey reveals that the margin between the appeal of flexible working and more money is a lot narrower than many employers assume. The message is clear: offering your staff more flexibility in how they work, can be as effective a retention strategy as throwing money at the problem. “
Woodhurst surveyed professionals, such as management consultants, accountants and lawyers working across the UK, 93 per cent of them in managerial roles and over half from among senior management.
The average working week among this group is 49 hours, which many find burdensome. 74 per cent say they would seriously consider a “lifestyle change”, sacrificing money for a better “quality of life”, while among those with a partner or spouse, 69 per cent are concerned about the impact of their working hours on their relationship.
Geraint Evans continued: “Achieving a better work-life balance appears to be a higher priority for professionals and managers than some of the factors employers typically expect will lead to staff turnover. For example, while 72 per cent of our survey respondents would move to another job for no reason other than to be able to work from home, only 38 per cent would move simply because they were passed over for promotion or to escape office politics (36 per cent). “
52 per cent of the professionals who took part in the survey admit they are likely to change jobs within the next two years. However, this figure is lower among those enjoying greater flexibility, falling to 32 per cent among those who have increased the amount that they work from home in the last two years.
Geraint Evans concluded “Employers clearly need to rethink their retention strategies to focus more on addressing the work-life balance. Flexible working conditions are not necessarily about staff working less but just in a way that fits better with their personal needs and commitments. Employees who are given this flexibility may not only be more likely to stay but also less stressed and therefore more effective. And, if a current role offers more flexible working conditions, it may not be as easy as a pay rise to replicate elsewhere and the employee will have to think very seriously before taking the plunge to another company.”
Posted by Mark at 04:59 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2005
| Secretaries |
Secretaries in demand
Survey predicts increase in support staff
Demand for secretaries and PAs will rise substantially in 2005 as a third of firms increase their teams of support staff.
This is the conclusion of the annual secretarial and support staff survey from recruitment firm Gordon Yates, in conjunction with The Guardian.
However, although firms will be recruiting more support staff, they’re likely to be working for a greater number of bosses, claims Richard Grace, joint managing director of Gordon Yates, who says the greatest challenge recruiting support staff is finding people who can juggle bosses and priorities.
Almost two-thirds of secretaries support three or more executives, and almost a fifth work for 11 or more bosses.
Posted by Mark at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
| Automotive |
New Year recruitment for upbeat firms
A number of design and manufacturing firms are starting the New Year with recruitment drives coming from improved business opportunities.
Newport Networks is looking to expand its High Wycombe-based R&D activities to support development of its telecoms voice-over-IP (VoIP) network controller technology.
The firm expects to take on around 25 staff in the next 12 months. Its headcount has already increased by 50 per cent to over 90 in the last six months.
The four year old company, which is targeting telecoms operators such as BT, AT&T and France Telecom as potential customers, is also looking for sales and marketing staff to support its expanding international business.
"We are looking for engineers to support the existing product and also support development of a new product due mid-2005," said David Vant, v-p of marketing of Newport Networks, which floated on the AIM stock market last year.
Last year the firm signed a supply contract with Marconi which will include its technology in VoIP network systems. "We are looking for a similar partner in North America," said Vant.
International Rectifier is looking for staff to support expansion of its 150mm and 200mm wafer fabs in Newport, South Wales. The analogue semiconductor supplier is also looking for engineers to work at its automotive facility in Swansea.
CSR is another semiconductor firm which is looking to add new staff to its engineering teams.
UK-based security equipment manufacturer Visimetrics is also expanding as it restructures to address growing business opportunities in the US. "As a result of these changes the company expects to achieve a 40 per cent growth in turnover over the next 24 months," said a spokeswoman for Visimetrics.
The company, which manufactures digital systems for CCTV and video surveillance, has also appointed a business development director to drive the business forward in the UK and across Europe.
GSPK the Yorkshire-based design and manufacturing firm is also looking for engineers.
Oxfordshire firm CRC expects to add up to 100 staff on the back of a £9m contract with cable television operator NTL for testing and refurbishing set-top boxes at its Glenrothes facility.
www.newport-networks.com
www.irf.com
www.csr.com
www.visimetrics.com
www.gspkdesign.ltd.uk
www.crc-group.com
Posted by Mark at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
| Contract IT |
IT contractors hired to help UK offshore
IT contractors on the Channel Islands are now receiving the same rates of pay as those working in London because of a boom in the financial services sector.
A survey by the Association of Technology Companies says IT contractors earn on average £40 an hour – as much as many contractors are reported to be earning in London, and £5 higher than those in the home counties.
The Financial Times reports demand on the Channel Islands has been driven by a widening financial services sector and already existing international businesses.
In terms of IT, the December Report on Jobs by the REC said there were ongoing shortages of contract software programmers and permie website designers.
This has forced upward pressure on pay rates for contracted technical staff, as firms contend with national as well as regional skills deficits.
Some businesses have now turned mainland to recruit certain professionals, simply because of the absence of skills and capabilities in the local population.
Such a recruitment move is in tune with the Jersey government’s bid to meet its 2 per cent economic growth target, ensuring a need for 500 more jobs.
This hiring spree will undoubtedly include staff from mainland Britain and act as a starting pistol for economic growth for the region.
One government adviser told the FT, that IT contractors were an essential part of the prosperity plan for the Channel Islands.
“We’ve got to recognise certain skill categories can’t be met from the local population, particularly when you’re talking about IT contractors that can help spur growth in the island.”
The source added that the government was concentrating on removing some of the red tape that currently makes it difficult to visit and settle on Jersey.
Outside of immigration rules, contractors are free to visit but accommodation is restricted to a limited number of “lodging houses.”
More fortunate workers may be able to acquire the “J-permit,” which allows long-term visitors to buy a property and settle permanently.
A bid to keep a check on the permanent population of Jersey means new employment and housing applications are vetted by the island’s housing authority.
Meanwhile, recruitment trends on the mainland reveal continued buoyancy for the contract market in December, with agencies reporting ongoing demand for contractors.
Although the rate of demand has eased for all types of temporary staff, including IT, recruiters said candidate availability dropped for the fourteenth month running.
Posted by Mark at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2005
| Skills |
'Widespread' skills shortages stifle recruitment
By David Turner, FT Employment Correspondent
Recruitment businesses say they are finding it difficult to fill some vacancies because of "widespread skill shortages". Some recruiters are blaming this for a slowing rate in the growth of staff appointments.
December's monthly report on jobs, by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and Deloitte, the professional services firm, found that the availability of candidates to fill vacant positions declined for the 14th month running last month.
The figures reignite the debate about whether Britain is suffering a skills crisis and about what ministers can do to improve the quality of the country's workforce.
Gareth Osborne, managing director of the REC, said: "December's strong recruitment activity was once again held back by skills shortages.
"Higher employment and the economic and social benefits it brings is being held back by structural weaknesses that must be tackled by business and government together, if 2005 is to follow 2004's strong trend of increasing employment."
Mr Osborne's comments echo in part a recent warning by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. It predicted that although total employment growth would slow this year, the labour market would grow tighter unless new sources could be found from groups such as immigrants.
Long-term survey evidence suggests that Britain's skills shortages are not severe by historical standards, but are substantial.
Employers have been complaining for at least 20 years about skills shortages in traditional craft occupations and catering, for example - suggesting a structural problem, which ministers of every government have failed to solve.
The present government has responded by giving schoolchildren a greater opportunity to learn practical skills.
The REC's December survey showed that although the number of people placed in permanent jobs rose for the 19th successive month, the growth in the number of placements was the slowest since August 2003.
The executive and professional sector recorded the strongest growth in demand for permanent staff, according to recruitment agencies, followed by the engineering and construction sector. Demand for blue-collar workers grew most slowly.
However, press recruitment advertising - seen as an indication of demand for high-level jobs - fell below the levels of a year earlier for the third consecutive month in November.
Labour market experts have put forward various solutions to alleviate skills shortages, including encouraging people to work when they are older, relying more on skilled overseas workers, and increasing the numbers of native Britons in work by tapping into the pool of 2.7m people of working age who are out of work and on sickness and disability benefit.
Posted by Mark at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2005
| PR Consultancy |
Microsoft, PepsiCo, Woolworths and Accenture are among a growing list of brand owners to have poached public relations consultancy staff to fill their own in-house PR jobs in recent months. While the flow of PRs between consultancy and client and vice versa is nothing new, both head-hunters and consultancy bosses claim current levels of client poaching pose a major challenge for the industry.
Jobtube's PR jobs
WHAT MAKES A GOOD IN-HOUSE PR
* MICROSOFT Microsoft UK took on three new in-house public relations people in 2004 - two from PR companies, the third from another IT-related company's PR department. Microsoft works with 60 or 70 external PR people in four companies who spend 50 to 60 per cent of their time on the brand. When recruiting to fill in-house PR positions Hugh Davies, Microsoft UK group PR manager, says how well an applicant "aligns with the company's brand values" is as important as their core experience and qualifications. "Increasingly, we're expected to employ people able to be trusted advisers, which means we are looking for people able to be proactive, used to selling in ideas, and adept at negotiating a complex web of different stakeholders," he says. "An agency background can therefore be useful although, of course, we must not hire away from the agencies working for us for contractual reasons."
* ORANGE Orange actively recruits PR staff for its in-house media centre with a mix of experience, drawing from other client companies' in-house PR departments, PR companies and journalists. "We're looking for people who'll fit with the Orange environment which is very fast-moving and lifestyle-focused," says Niamh Byrne, Orange's director of PR. Orange employs nine in-house PR people and also works with Cake and Edelman for support in consumer and business PR respectively. A key strength of PR company recruits is their familiarity with dealing daily with journalists, she adds: "We want to recreate that daily dialogue between Orange and the media in-house all the time to double the effort."
"It's driving everyone mad," one senior PR consultancy executive complains. "It's happened to us three times in the past 12 months and we ended up losing business as a result. There's a real shortage of creative talent on the client side, in my view, and the way this is being dealt with is unacceptable."
Facing financial and time pressures and a need for direct experience of the brand among PR candidates, many clients are under pressure to poach. "It's a growing trend, and it can save a client huge amounts of time and money - get the right person and they'll hit the ground running without any need for induction," says Melanie Lawn, a recruitment consultant at Blue Skies Specialist Recruitment.
Consultancy PRs are only too willing to jump ship, it seems, as they grow increasingly frustrated by long working hours, woolly career prospects and lack of respect. According to a new survey of PR consultancy staff conducted by the Public Relations Consultants Association, a UK industry body, long working hours, salary levels below client rates and unclear career paths are the main reasons for considering a client PR role.
Historically, worsening economic conditions have encouraged clients to rely on in-house PR resources. In boom times they invest more on external PR support, says Patrick Barrow, PRCA director general and former head of external communications for T-Mobile, the mobile phone operator.
"Tough economic conditions have always been a challenge for the PR industry," he explains. "But despite 2004 being a better year for the PR business, there's a widespread feeling the pendulum is yet to swing back in PR consultancies' favour."
The PRCA survey, which polled PR company staff at the junior account executive level and more senior account and associate director level, shows relief from excessively long hours is one of the main reasons for considering a client PR role. "Career prospects are limited if you work a five day week," was one respondent's observation.
"A number of PR sectors are female-dominated and this is another factor. When people return to work after having children, many opt for in-house roles in the belief that support will be greater, pressure less and working hours shorter," Mr Barrow explains.
Lack of money is especially pressing for younger PRs a few years into their careers. Many are still struggling to pay off student debt, he says. Just as significant, however, is lack of respect. "Clients treat you like a skivvy, not a consultant," said one respondent.
Mr Barrow says he was surprised at the degree of discontent among PR consultants. However, there is no shortage of other industry figures willing to endorse the survey's finding and suggest supplementary factors.
"It's a fact that the advance from account executive to account director within a PR consultancy happens relatively quickly, while the next step - from account director to board director - can take 10 years," says Robert Phillips, co-founder of JCPR, a consumer PR consultancy. "People's careers therefore naturally plateau around 30."
Adds Niamh Byrne, director of PR at Orange: "I've noticed people are applying a lot more from agencies to come in-house in search of greater focus. They yearn to work on one brand and be able to follow a project through instead of constantly having to chop and change. And they relish the focus we place on coming up with our own creative ideas in-house."
One solution to the talent drain away from PR consultancies, the PRCA believes, lies in improving evaluation methods and developing industry-standard measures for public relations effectiveness - something the PRCA is backing. "Better demonstrate how PR impacts on the bottom line and PR's professional status can be strengthened and PR consultants enjoy greater respect," Mr Barrow says.
Mr Phillips agrees. "Accountability is key. Chief executives don't buy into emotions - they want to know how every investment impacts on the bottom line. PR must re-position itself as a strategic marketing discipline rather than a series of tactics thrown together," he says.
PR consultancy bosses privately admit much still needs to be done to banish once and for all negative associations with Absolutely Fabulous, the British sitcom, fluffy consumer surveys and the dark arts of spin doctoring. In the face of cost-cutting and the desire of clients like Orange to "own" creative thinking in-house, however, reversing the PR talent drain may prove to be an uphill struggle.
from FT.COM
Posted by Mark at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2005
| Career Tips |
By By Marty Nemko, Bankrate.com
1. Act like a star at work. Whether you're a clerk or a CEO, do the things a world-class employee would do, from the way you walk to the way you talk to the way you tackle hard tasks and difficult people. Act like a star and you boost your chances of becoming one.
2. Talk more crisply, listen more intently. Most of us think we're good communicators. Alas, few of us are. Keep your utterances under a minute; if possible, under 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, most people start thinking, "I wish he'd finish." And when you're listening, really listen to what your counterpart is saying and how he or she is saying it. Ask follow-up questions. People love to be asked questions.
3. Follow The World's Shortest Management Course: Create a vision, inspire your supervisees to achieve that vision, don't micromanage, fire the bad quickly and take the time to hire great employees.
4. Get your job description changed to suit your strengths. Don't know what your strengths are? Make a list of things you've been praised for. Your core strengths lie within.
5. Request a special project that you'd find fun, would impress your boss and the results of which would be visible to many employees. For example, if you're a new and inexperienced salesperson, ask your sales manager if you could interview the other salespeople to create a booklet of sales tips and tricks. If your boss agrees, you get to learn a lot from the old hands and produce a product valuable to all. Instead of being seen as the green newbie, you'd be immediately seen as the up-and-comer.
6. Forgo State U for You U. When your career is stalled, it's tempting to consider a back-to-school stint. But there's an oversupply of degree holders. Thousands of people have spent years and fortunes on finishing their bachelor's degree or MBA or even PhD to find that career doors did not swing open. You can often learn more of value, more quickly and less expensively, by forgoing State U, let alone Private U, in favor of what I call You U: self-and mentor-selected articles, books, workshops, conferences and mentorships.
You might worry, "But an employer won't be impressed with that." They will if you write the right cover letter. Imagine you were an employer and got an application letter from this candidate:
Dear Mr. Moneybags,
I suspect you'll be tempted to toss my application because I don't have an MBA but I believe I'm worth a look precisely because I chose to forgo it.
Having heard from so many people that they derived little of practical value from their MBA, I decided the two years could be more profitably spent.
I contacted marketing directors at leading Silicon Valley software companies and offered to work for them for no pay in exchange for their mentorship. A marketing manager at Hewlett-Packard took me on. After three months, I felt I had learned about as much as I could from him, whereupon I made a similar arrangement with a director of marketing at Cisco.
In those apprenticeships, I was deeply involved in a number of projects similar to those mentioned in your ad. In addition, I attended American Marketing Association conferences, read the best articles and books recommended by the AMA and spent much of my commute time listening to relevant books on tape. To get the bigger picture, I even read a couple of books by leading academics.
But now comes the moment of truth. I believe I prioritized substance over form, but will you interview me?
I hope that you will appreciate my having developed a beyond-the-box learning plan, that I was assertive enough to make it happen and persistent enough to see it through to completion even though I didn't have a professor and deadlines forcing me to do so. Perhaps more important, in working at the elbow of top software marketing executives, I learned a tremendous amount about how to do the job well.
I enclose samples of the deliverables I produced during my work at Hewlett-Packard and Cisco.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jane Jobseeker
Would you interview that candidate? When, during a speech, I asked that question of the 200 executives in the audience, 90 percent raised their hands.
7. Job seekers, use the one-week job search. Concentrate your efforts into one hell week. Why? Because that maximizes the chances of your getting multiple job offers at around the same time so you can pick the best one. The dribs-and-drabs job search usually takes months by which time you're grateful even for a lousy job offer. Besides, wouldn't it be great to get that yucky task off your plate in just a week?
What to do during your hell week?
- Answer 10 on-target want ads. For portals to hundreds of employment Web sites, go to the Riley Guide and Careerxroads Web sites.
- Phone the 25 people who most love you and could help you land a job. Ask them for job leads.
- Write and then follow-up call a hiring manager (not HR) at 25 dream employers, even if the employer isn't advertising an appropriate job for you. Try to convince each employer to create a job for you.
- If you're looking for a job for which you have previous successful experience, contact five headhunters or employment agencies.
8. Procrastinator, overcome that career killer with this three-step method:
- Be aware of the moment of truth. There is a moment when you, usually unconsciously, decide you'll put off that task. Consciously decide whether it's in your best interest to do the task now or whether you'd really be more likely to do it later.
- Start with one-second tasks. Open the book, turn on your computer, whatever. Those one-second tasks aren't intimidating, and once you start, you usually find yourself continuing.
- When you reach a stumbling block, struggle for no more than one minute. If you haven't made progress within a minute, chances are that additional struggling won't help. So after a one-minute struggle, get help or figure out a way to do the task without that hard part.
9. Remember the serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." So often, we let the unchangeable destroy our peace of mind -- for example, a problem co-worker with whom we must work. Make that person as small a part of your life as possible, and when confronted with their laziness, stupidity or tactlessness, just as you would with a brain-injured person, make the big effort to react with sympathy and gratitude for your superiority rather than with judgment and anger at their inferiority.
10. Remember my father's story. My father spent his teenage years in concentration camps. When I was a teenager, I asked him, "How come you never seem angry about your lost teenage years?" He said, "The Nazis took five years from my life. I won't give them one minute more. Martin, never look back; always look forward." We all have had bad things in our lives: parents or spouses who abused us, bad luck that impeded us, weaknesses our genetics perpetrated on us. But the people who spend time looking back, playing victim, have much sadder lives than those who can remember my father's words: "Never look back; always look forward."
Posted by Mark at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2004
| Britain set for 200,000 new jobs next year |
ALMOST 200,000 new jobs will be created in Britain over the course of 2005 as the general health of the economy continues to improve, according to a new report published today.
However, the findings also suggest that the beleaguered manufacturing sector - which is seeing its own fledgling recovery hurt by the strength of the pound - will suffer from a fall in employment levels to new lows.
The report, by the London-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said growth in job creation will be curbed by the need to improve productivity, especially in the public sector.
Employers will have a challenging time next year trying to improve productivity and tackle sickness absence, and will have to take on migrant workers to fill vacancies, the research suggested.
The study of the world of work in 2004 showed that firms continued to have difficulties in recruiting enough skilled staff - and then being able to retain them.
But the research, among 10,000 employers across the UK, found that there were fewer redundancies this year compared with 2003.
Firms questioned by the CIPD said sickness absence was becoming a "real headache", with workers now taking an average of nine days a year off sick, rising to more than ten in the public sector.
Dr John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economist, said: "Employers are having to work hard to prevent the tight labour market forcing up wages."
Firms would have to secure greater productivity from their workers next year to improve efficiency, he stated.
"With no sign of an easing in the labour market and better people management, bringing improved productivity is the key to resisting upward pressure on wages.
"Immigrant labour and efforts to get more people off long-term sickness absence and back to work also offer a safety valve, allowing growth in employment and output without forcing up wages and prices."
He added: "Although the increase in employment in 2005 will be slower than in recent years, there is no sign of a contraction in the economy."
Posted by Mark at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2004
| Happy Workers |
What will be at the top of your New Year’s Resolution list for 2005? According to a recent survey commissioned by Human Capital Management software vendor Zynap, a new job takes the number one spot on the list for a quarter of the British workforce.
January is renowned as one of the busiest periods of the year for the recruitment industry. The New Year drives people to take a fresh perspective on their lives, often giving them the incentive needed to change an unhappy job.
So, with many people set to leave their employers out in the cold in the New Year, are businesses really doing enough to retain their staff?
83 per cent of the people surveyed planning to leave did not believe their employer to be taking any action to address the reasons why. Employees are looking to their bosses for more than a bit of office tinsel and Christmas fairy lights this year to get them to sparkle in their jobs.
With almost 50 years experience in the recruitment industry, the Kent based Human Resource Group Plc highlights the main areas businesses should focus on to help their employees to feel valued and happy in the workplace. The answer isn’t just to pay more:
-Ensure your employees feel valued
-Give praise for a job well done. It doesn’t take much to say thank you but it goes a long way
-Talk to your employees but also remember to listen to them and any ideas they may have
-Focus on career development whether it be through training, courses or promotion
-Recognise that your employees play an important part in the company, its vision and what it achieves
-Give regular appraisals to set and review personal objectives to give employees a goal to work towards
-Establish a pay review structure or set date(s) for review in the year
-Champion a happy work-life balance in the workplace – be flexible to accommodate personal family commitments where possible and appropriate
By businesses acknowledging these points and taking action now, it could save them millions from losing skilled staff to competitors.
So, don’t just focus on meeting targets. Become a cracker of an employer and concentrate on gift wrapping your star employees to retain them during this period.
Posted by Mark at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2004
| Rejection Letters |
Letters of Rejection is a web application designed for venting frustration. The goal of the site is simple; to display failure in a laughable environment.
Letters of Rejection are looking for letters of all types, letters from companies, colleges, former mates, lay off notices, firing notices, anything that rejects you as a person. Also, many times when you apply for a job, you get either an auto emailer or auto mailer which states your resume was received and that someone will contact you soon. Since they never do, that auto reply is your rejection letter...so they accept those too.
What else should a letter contain?:
Each submitted letter must also include some sort of comments, with some sort of venting, or comments defending the letter.
What else do they accept?:
We also accept comments based on letters already in our database. The types of comments we look for are venting or defending a letter in some way. We do not want comments like...this letter is great or this site is pointless. Only objective comments will be displayed.
Posted by Mark at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2004
| Recruitment News |
Recruitment
duo on the move
ic Newcastle.co.uk
- Newcastle,England,UK
By Evening Gazette. Two recruitment
firms have expanded their operations on Teesside by opening offices in
the area. Newcastle-based ...
Police Probe Muslim
Staff Recruitment
Scotland
on Sunday - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK
By Wesley Johnson, PA. A national
seminar to look at issues that affect the police service's ability to
recruit, retain and progress ...
Free Graduate
Recruitment for Selected Companies & Agencies
Online Recruitment - UK
Search4Grads
is a new and innovative online graduate recruitment resource which
aims to cater for the demands and requirements of university graduates
and ...
Value
added at Smart Recruitment with two for the price of one
Online Recruitment - UK
Smart Recruitment
doesn't do things by half as evidenced by their recent comprehensive expansion
programme, their no nonsense approach to business and their ...
Morris
men 'recruitment crisis'
BBC
News - London,England,UK
By Mark McGregor. Every time Mark Ashton
tries to find new people to take up his favourite pastime he faces the
same problem. He ...
BA
embarks on IT staff recruitment drive
VNUNet.com - London,England,UK
British Airways
plans to embark on its first IT staff recruitment drive in four
years, marking an end to an era of job losses and cut backs at the airline.
...
Stoddart
denies Dutch recruitment drive.
crash.net
- UK
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has played down suggestions
that at least one of his drivers could come from Holland next season,
despite rumours claiming that ...
Inward
migration recruitment fairs
Aberdeen
City - UK
... year. These recruitment problems
have also affected First Group who now has established a recruitment
centre in Poland. Research ...
Clarke
issues warning over overseas recruitment
EducationGuardian.co.uk - UK
The government is
to push for more systematic inspection of UK university courses taught
abroad, the education secretary, Charles Clarke, warned today. ...
Head
teacher recruitment shake-up
BBC
News - London,England,UK
... "I can understand the
rationale behind it but how is that void going to be filled?". Ministers
hope to make recruitment more rigorous by the end of next year.
...
Posted by Mark at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)