Recruitment 2.0

Friday 11th May Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• Current attempts at television-based social media integration are failing, hard
• What’s happening in LinkedIn groups?
• Customer Service: Does Big Mean Bad?
• How Does Social Media Affect Recruitment?
• Recruiting Tactics: Would You Move For a Better Job?
• 10 things not to say in a job interview
• Employment law reforms confirmed in Queen’s Speech
• Broadband speeds in the UK: fast track to frustration
• Jobseekers More Proactive, Recruiters Less Proactive – Exclusive Recruitment Research - thanks to Merv for drawing my attention to this..

 

Thanks gang, happy weekending..

-Emily

This week’s video is both a great bit of Marketing from Peugeot and also a very good April Fools joke!

 

Customer Service: Does Big Mean Bad?

The demise of customer service in the UK is well documented. Television programmes such as Watchdog and Mary Portas’ Secret Shopper regularly reveal lamentable standards in the treatment of consumers.

Should all businesses be tarred with the same brush?

Most start-ups are grateful to have customers at all and will often go that extra mile in their efforts to retain that business.  As we all know, however, rapid growth can lead businesses to neglect that most vital of assets – their customers. 

So when does the line start to blur and companies lose sight of what made them successful in the first place?

It’s difficult to establish exactly when the decline begins.  

Money Mail holds annual wooden spoon awards for companies who have consistently failed to provide good customer service. Among its alleged worst offenders are companies such as Orange, Ryanair and Talk Talk.

In the not so distant past all of these businesses were viewed as a refreshing alternative to the dominance of national companies. Now in some cases they seem to have joined their ranks. 

Let’s consider the traditional ‘giants’ for a moment. Think insurance companies who offer discount deals to new customers and reward loyalty with, well, nothing. Consider the hours we spend on ‘hold’ in an attempt to arrange a refund or replacement for damaged goods delivered to our door. The financial services sector is on the slide following the scandal over mis-sold PPI claims - and let’s not get started on the energy companies.

Is it surprising that we despair of ‘big’ businesses and our hearts sink when our favourite supplier starts to expand?

What constitutes good customer service?

What do we look for in customer service? The Institute of Customer Services (ICS) cites the following:-

-          quality of the service or product

-          handling of enquiries, problems and complaints

-          competent and helpful staff

-          being kept informed

-          ease of doing business

-          speed of service

How many successful companies offer all of the above on a consistent basis? 

Does the success of a small business mean that it will forget its loyal customers and inevitably doom it to the ranks of the faceless giants?

Not necessarily. The ICS regularly carries out surveys of consumers to assess which companies are offering good customer service.

In January of this year, Amazon topped the list. Its continued growth is proof that companies can expand globally without detrimental effects on customer service. Boots and Marks and Spencer also feature in the top ten, both of whom have seen their traditional market eroded and have responded successfully to the challenges of the past decade. So there is hope.

With the current economic climate in such a parlous state, Goldman Sachs highlight how vital it is for all businesses to get their service strategy right. Let’s hope that this message continues to filter through to the big (and growing) names in industry. As consumers, we have a duty to report those that fall short of acceptable standards and wherever there is an alternative, vote with our wallets. 

 

See ICS January 2012 results here  

The Money Mail article is available here

The Goldman Sachs article is available on the ICS website here.

Friday 4th May Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• Social Media Prism
• Are job boards a waste of time? (view on Recruiting Blogs to read all the comments)
• Desperate people don’t get new jobs, try this approach instead
• Benefits of using a recruiter?
• Recruitment: Sales versus Consultancy… who are we?
• High unemployment to do ‘permanent damage’ to UK
• LinkedIn Financial Report 2012

Thanks gang, that’s yer lot. Until next week..

-Emily

And seeing how we’ve had such horrific weather for two weeks, let’s have a video of some puppies in the sunshine. Puppies never fail to cheer people up! 

 

Are job boards a waste of time?

Job boards have been around for what seems like forever.  If an internet year is the equivalent of a dog year (seven years to every one human year) then job boards are past their century mark and in some cases approaching dinosaur status.

Do people still use job boards?

Even just a quick online search reveals that yes, people do still use job boards. From brands like Monster, Jobsite and Totaljobs to aggregator sites such as Indeed or Broadbean, the job boards are alive and seemingly thriving.

The catch is that in today’s mainly stagnant or contracting job market, such sites are understandably swamped by candidates urgently seeking employment. For both job seekers and employers this may reduce their effectiveness.

So, how are job sites are used?

 

For Recruiters/Employers: 

Job boards are still valuable assets in the recruiter’s toolbox despite the threat of being eclipsed by social media and online referral/networking sites such as LinkedIn.

Generalist job boards don’t normally yield high numbers of suitable candidates for specialist vacancies but may prove more effective for a broader campaign. What they do, however, is raise awareness of a brand. What’s more, all it takes is just one outstanding candidate for that ‘hard to fill’ vacancy to justify a recruiter’s investment in the site.

The downside for job boards is that online networking and word of mouth referrals normally produce a better success ratio. A trusted recommendation is preferable to hours spent sifting through CVs.

Employers have similar reasons as recruiters for using job boards. The key difference is that some use them in the hope of avoiding the cost of engaging a recruitment agency’s services and you can gain a large pool of candidates at comparatively shorter notice.

 

For Candidates:

In a highly competitive market, some of the best candidates will still get lost amid the increasing volume of job seekers. For the most effective results, frustrated candidates should take a multi-pronged approach:- 

-          use relevant industry keywords in CVs uploaded onto jobsites to enable companies to find their CV.

-          apply recruitment agency techniques to a job search by drawing up a list of target companies and approaching them directly, highlighting the benefits they will bring to a company.

-          research the job sites relevant to their industry (see link below).

 

In response to the need for more streamlined job boards, there has been a growth in niche sites tailored to specific industry sectors. Niche job boards specialise in either a particular job function, (such as sales or engineering) or an actual industry sector, (such as retail, hospitality and so on). Other categories include vacancies over a certain level or within a specific geographical location. Yet more may create a subgroup of job specialisms.

For a complete guide to job sites, including the best rated and improved job boards, whatjobsite is an excellent online resource for candidates and employers. 

Although sometimes perceived as antiquated, job boards still play an essential role in the recruitment process – you bypass them to your detriment in my opinion. The most successful ones however, are those that continue to respond and adapt to changes in the online world.

Friday 27th April Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• UK unemployment falls by 35,000 to 2.65m, ONS reports
• Where have all the jobs gone..?
• One HR system to rule them all
• Don’t limit yourself to a graduate scheme
• Once a Job Hopper, Not Always a Job Hopper
• Employer confidence at record high - REC
• Management jobs go as HSBC cuts 2,000 from UK workforce

Ta-ra,

-Emily

Found this nice video on Social Media Marketing – it’s facts and figures from January so no doubt, they’ve gone up since then but it’s still done in a funky way.. Enjoy.

 

Where have all the jobs gone..?

Open a newspaper or switch on the television and it seems that swingeing jobs cuts are still being announced on a regular basis. While we all acknowledge that the days of the ‘job for life’ are gone, traditionally there have always been sectors perceived as ‘safer’ career choices. 

This is no longer necessarily the case. The reputation of the once lucrative financial sector has been decimated with the banking crisis and a swathe of cuts is still pending across the once safe public sector. The Government’s ‘public sector savings’ initiative, (ie job cuts), now extends as far as the military and there is no end in sight. 

Where have all the jobs gone? Is there such a thing as a secure sector for a career choice anymore?

Normally, the economy would rely on the private sector to create new jobs as the country emerges from a deep recession. So isn’t now the time for the private sector to bounce back?  As things stand, it’s unlikely in the immediate future. 

The CIPD reported in February of this year that the number of LMO (Labour Market Outlook) employers planning on redundancies in 2012 is at its highest level for three years. On top of that the CIPD gloomily predicts that employment could rise as high as 2.85m by the end of the year.

With the continued squeeze on bank lending, employers cite lack of access to finance as one of the biggest obstacles to business growth – and consequently the creation of new jobs. 

Last week we saw a marginal reduction in unemployment figures. Could that be a sign that the ‘green shoots of recovery’ are poised to flourish?  Not yet.  Statistics can notoriously be manipulated. The fall is in part the result of many unemployed people taking part-time jobs in an attempt to make ends meet and unwittingly removing themselves from the unemployment register.

The longstanding north-south divide continues to widen with employment prospects across the north continuing to fall dramatically. Only London predicts a positive outlook but its prohibitive property prices coupled and significantly higher cost of living are a deterrent to jobseekers considering relocation..

It’s a familiar story across much of Europe, so where can we turn to for that elusive job security?

There is a glimmer of hope out there. While UK and European employment flatlines at best, the Guardian reports rising demand in the international IT, engineering and commodities markets. For those skilled workers who are able, seeking employment abroad is a viable prospect.

In the UK, young people forced to seek alternatives are discovering untapped entrepreneurial skills and venturing out in business on their own. The Times also recently reported that women in the so-called ‘Madonna’ age group (late ‘40s to early ‘60s) fare better than other age groups in their job search. 

For now, however, it’s watch this space as the UK faces a still fragile market and employers continue to wait for the longed-for recovery.

The CIPD’S complete Labour Market Outlook Report : Winter 2011-2012 can be found here and the Guardian’s article of 12^th April is here.

Friday 20th April Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• So what DOES make a good recruiter?
• Google heads new Guardian UK 300 rankings
• Number of management resignations doubles since 2010 as employers struggle to retain top talent
• Using WiFi for Recruitment?
• Are You Hiring Deciders, or Drifters?
• How to Survive and Thrive in Your New Job (5 Useful Tactics)
• Deconstruction of the Job Ad

I apologise for the lack of Recruitment Roundup last week – nasty virus rampaging through the office. Back to normal this week!

-Emily

Today’s video is a marketing concept from Domino’s Pizza – it’s hilarious, I can’t say more than that. Well done Domino’s.

 

Friday 5th April Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• Advice for new recruits (from a member of Sky’s marketing graduate scheme)
• Help keep the social media cowboys at bay
• StepStone buys Totaljobs Group
• TARGETjobs National Graduate Recruitment Awards
• HR “Recycling Talent”
• Assessing capability
• Shutup… talking too much can hurt you in the job search and at work

-Emily

 

Friday 29th March Recruitment Roundup

Your weekly dose of news and blog highlights, condensed to a few links. Read on for interesting stories regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics.

• How far can mobile recruitment go?
• Are video resumes a good idea?
• Agency work stopped me from falling off the career ladder
• The one with a seat at the table
• Lack of skilled candidates is biggest recruitment challenge, says employers
• Public sector workforce ‘will shrink to record low by 2017’
• How to get a job in recruitment

See you next week, enjoy another weekend in the sun!

-Emily

Because it’s so sunny, let’s have a fun video today – enjoy.

 

How far can mobile recruitment go?

Technology is revolutionising every aspect of our lives, impacting the way we live and the way we work. From QR codes and text capture to applying for a job via your iPhone there’s no excuse for missing out on that ideal role.

How far can mobile recruitment go? Is it really that easy to blast your CV off in eager pursuit of that ideal role?  Well, yes it is but it’s also essential to be aware of the pros and cons of current trends.

 

Pros

It’s now simple to capture information for a role as you’re passing a strategically placed advert during your daily commute for example. QR codes offer recruitment on the go. What could be simpler in our time poor lives?

The facility to apply for roles via iPhones is increasing. Websites like LinkedIn offer free iPhone apps enabling jobseekers to customise job search criteria and receive instant alerts when a suitable vacancy is posted.  Applying via an iPhone is quick and easy, demonstrating a keen approach to a potential employer.

Industry sectors such as marketing and PR embrace the concept of mobile recruitment with open arms. It’s also a boon for employers at graduate recruitment fairs seeking to capture basic candidate data en masse. It saves time and simplifies the selection process.

 

Cons

Have you ever tried filling in a job application on your iPhone or Smartphone? To say it’s cumbersome is an understatement. A prompt response from an iPhone may suggest a keen applicant but a typo-ridden letter screams lack of attention to detail and an almost guaranteed rejection.

That ‘one size fits all’ CV stored on an iPhone isn’t always appropriate. The most successful candidates tailor their CVs to suit the vacancies they’re applying for. Think before you press send; if this job is really that important can’t it wait a little longer to give you your best possible shot at interview?

Lack of awareness is a hurdle to the success of mobile recruitment. Only an estimated 15% of mobile users employ QR for example and only 30% actually know what it is. Technological prowess doesn’t negate the need for a formal CV or completed application form.

 

Advice

Know your industry. Not all recruiters have the hang of mobile recruitment yet.  Incorporating a QR code to demonstrate innovative thinking may wow a communications firm but may just be that step too far for a traditional accountancy practice.

Integrate social media with tradition. Keep a solid CV and maintain a professional updated online presence on a site like LinkedIn with relevant testimonials.

Mobile recruitment is here to stay but it is still in its relative infancy. It represents another unique tool in the burgeoning box of both recruiters and candidates but practical issues still need ironing out.  Until the techno-wizards invent an easier way of applying from your mobile, maintain a back-up plan.

And remember, no matter how far mobile recruitment evolves it is ability that counts. Ultimately substance will always triumph over style.