Recruitment 2.0

Boxing Day recruitment roundup

OK, there was not much news today, but I did find this Deloitte video, "You were born to consult." Enjoy!

Oh, and did you vote?

-Susanna

Friday 19 December recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Britain set to work 40-hour work week
• Lights finally go out at Woolies
• Accountanct graduates headed for public sector
• Graduate jobs available at McDonalds
• Best FREE subscription of the week
• We can't afford to jettison our next generation of surveyors

Job hunting anyone? Here's the perfect holiday occupation...

-Susanna

We're a finalist for Best UK Recruitment Blog 2008!

Not sure how this happened, but Recruitment 2.0 is one of six finalists in Louise's search for the Best UK Recruitment Blog of 2008.

We hold these award close to heart as the awards last year were the catalyst for the creation of Recruitment 2.0.

It has since grown to have a loyal audience and is a lot of fun!

Voting closes on 9th January, and the winner will be announced the following week on UK Recruiter.

So please, vote!

May I respectfully suggest that you vote for Recruitment 2.0

Thanks for your readership.

-Susanna

What NOT to say when a recruiter calls

In honour of the silly season, we thought we'd share something silly with you.

Zack Urlocker from Valley of the Geeks wrote this a few years ago, but I think it's even funnier with a second read....

Top ten things NOT to say when a recruiter calls:

10. Would I be a manager or would I have to do real work?

9. I think this phone is tapped. Can we meet at your house instead?

8. What's their policy on sexual harrasment?

7. When you say source code, what exactly to you mean by that?

6. My boss had an issue with on-the-job nudity. Is that a problem?

5. I'm not sure the FBI will let me work on computers anymore.

4. Oh sure, I know those guys. I already hacked into their web site.

3. This is great timing; they've just asked me to pack up my desk.

2. You know the Melissa Virus, that was my idea!

1. My manager has a restraining order against me anyways.

So come on, share the best thing a potentional candidate has ever said to you...

About the author:
Zack Urlocker is a pseudonym for a Silicon Valley software executive who gets more calls from recruiters than from his family.

How will recruitment be affected by the credit crunch?

I was chatting to a friend of mine the other day and he said to me: "You should be worried: recruitment's going to stop dead during the recession so no-one is going to need your software..."

Clearly, my chum is wrong with this rather sweeping statement because even during a recession companies need to hire people. Yes, there are a number of large companies going to the wall, Yes, there are high profile retailers either feeling pain, or going bust – and Yes, even banks are having major dramas. However, none of this stops the need to recruit new people.

Think for a moment about a 25,000 employee company, they hit the headlines by saying they are making 10% of their workforce redundant – that's 2,500 people - a lot of people. Firstly, only in rare cases are these mass redundancies undertaken immediately, they are normally carried out over two or three years – in fact I would say that a fair number of these statements exist only to keep analysts happy. Secondly, every company still has its level of natural wastage or job turnover – these people will need to be replaced.

Another element to all of this is that just because your company is not recruiting, or is recruiting less, that doesn't mean to say that people aren't applying for jobs at your company. In fact it would be fair to say that because there are less jobs around, the number of applicants for each job will be much higher. Either way, you are going to need a recruitment system.

Clearly, the recruitment industry will be hit, this is inevitable. The kind of recruitment services that are more likely to be cut back are:

• Offline advertising – maybe clients will use one less job advert or maybe make the ad smaller
• Online advertising – simply post on three job boards, not four.
• Agency rates – get them down from 20% to 17.5%. (or 30% to 25%!!)
• I've heard that some companies are even closing down their graduate schemes (short sighted in my opinion)

Finally, we are entering a phase of having a candidate-rich market. This is a great opportunity for companies to make their direct recruitment channels easier for candidates to find and use. I'm still staggered by companies who simply don't even list their own jobs on their own website.

- Mike

Friday 12 December recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Top 100 graduate recruiters: No. 89 Transport for London
• Reception mains lukewarm for video resumes
• Graduates play it safe as employers cut back on starter jobs in bleak economic climate
• Employers 'cautious' over recruitment
• No opportunities for physios
• Develop a "Friend's" programme
• The big picture
• Does social networking equal Linkedin for most recruiters?

I'll leave you with one job interview mistake you don't want to make! By IrishGradJobs.ie.

-Susanna

Watch out Job Boards - your SEO strategy may be in danger!

A recent ruling by a High Court judge has determined that M & S and Flowers-Direct.co.uk cannot use Interflora (and common mis-spellings) as part of it keyword advertising.

The full article is here on the excellent Out-law website run by law firm Pinsent Masons.

Whilst Interflora may be the first to win this type of case, this obviously creates a precedent.

Will this hurt job boards trying to ride off the back of a known good industry brand?

Here's a screenshot I just took from Google after doing a search for "WS Atkins Jobs" as an example.

- Mike

Friday 5th December recruitment roundup

We’ve condensed the week’s news to just a few links.  Read on for interesting stories and videos regarding recruiting, technology and other random topics…

• Graduate employment in public sector may offer safe haven
• Campus dragons: The entrepreneurial spirit is soaring across universities in the UK
• Deloitte reports surge in graduate applications
• Graduate pay and benefits vary widely
• Japanese graduates scamble for pay as economy cools
• Demand for compliance and risk jobs in finance
• Graduate recruiters are too busy being busy
• How important is your careers site in 2009?

I'll leave you with the original "In the Navy" music video by the Village People. It was released in 1978 on the “Go West” album and went on to become a disco hit. A video of the song was shot with the help of the US Navy in hopes of us it as a recruiting campaign. It all went pear-shaped, however, when there was widespread protest over using tax payers money!

-Susanna

Vote for the best UK recruitment blog of 2008!

It's that time of year again...

Fistful of Talent Blog Power Rankings have just released their list of the best talent management blogs for 2008.

And UK recruitment industry darling Louise Triance started her own awards last year. In fact, it was through this list that the idea for Recruitment 2.0 was born.

If Peter Gold could win, well then anything's possible ;-)

So, please take a minute to vote for the best UK recruitment blog.

Er, and may I respectfully suggest you vote for Recruitment 2.0!

-Susanna

Photo credit: terren