Adopt an apprentice today!

By Erin Galey, Recruitment International

Are you growing rapidly? Do you need more staff? Do you have a lot of wisdom to share? Have you ever considered… taking on an apprentice?

Apprentices can be excellent additions to your team; they’re eager to learn and most have sharp skills in IT and social media, plus you receive government funding for the training you provide. These are points that have probably already been brought to your attention by your peers in the industry – I know that Teri Etherington, RI’s UK country manager has spoken at an event recently touching on the subject.



I just wanted to share with you another reason to consider taking on an apprentice…

As an apprentice myself I can say that starting the course is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It was scary realising how incompatible I was with the academic route, you don’t hear much about the high achievers who don’t go to university. However, a few months later I’ve found myself at Recruitment International with a feeling that I’m on the path to success.

As editorial apprentice I work closely with our editor Rebecca, publishing stories on the website, laying out news and features in the magazine, and running this blog among other things.

It’s only been about three months but I’ve already gained so much from my experience. Not only have I learnt the skills necessary for my job in editorial, I’ve also gained a lot I can take home with me,  including confidence from meeting some the bold personalities so often found in the industry (including Teri) and the skills and motivation to start running my own blog.

Doing an apprenticeship with Recruitment International has given me a start in the working world I didn’t think was possible.

You could be that start for a young person.

Are you the Number 1 Recruiter to work for?

In 2013 Recruitment International launched a new event, ‘Number 1 Recruiter to work for’ the event was SOLD OUT and those who attended on the day were thoroughly engaged with the speakers and subjects covered. 

For 2014's event we have managed to secure a larger venue with Royal Bank of Scotland in Bishopsgate. This will ensure a much greater area for the conference and also for networking, ensuring we don’t have to turn anyone away.

The event is focused on being the ‘Number 1’ recruiter to work for in your field.

 How do you ensure you are the employer of choice for both your current and future workforce?

There are lots of things to consider and at times it can be a minefield. In this event we will look at attraction, development, engagement and retention so you will leave knowing exactly what you need to do to create the culture and employee engagement you are looking for in your organisation.

This year we will have speakers from Premier Group, Investigo, Arrows Group, InterQuest, Acre, ConSol Group and Darwin Recruitment, as well as updates from previous speakers including Nicoll Curtin and Macildowie.

If you would like book a ticket you can secure our early bird rate of £150 + VAT each subsequent ticket is £100 – after this tickets will be £220 + VAT

To book simply call 01483 740 974 or email teri@recruitment-international.co.uk

Managing your Workforce

In previous years Recruitment International have held an RPO conference. This has been focused around providing information to Corporate Recruiters, RPO providers and Agencies which supply in to them. After we did this last year we made the decision to look for wholly at Workforce Management. With today’s leading companies using a variety of workers; agency workers, interim managers, self-employed, fixed-term contractors, zero hours contracts and cross border overseas workers. How can you be certain that you are attracting and retaining the best talent whilst keeping up-to-date with the latest employment legislation? This is what the RI Workforce Conference will explore. 

This event will not only discuss and clarify the legal and financial issues surrounding different types of workers it will also give you advice, hints and tips for ensuring you become seen as an employer of choice – essential in the renewed war for talent. 

 Our speakers will discuss

§  Agency workers, interim managers, self-employed, fixed-term contractors, zero hours or overseas workers – what are the fundamental differences and what do employers need to be aware of?

§  Employing overseas workers

§  What are the pros and cons of taking on interim managers and how to know when it is the right time for your business?

§  Pension Reform - Are you ready? What do you need to be aware of?

§  The future on the MSP/RPO model

§  Employing over 50s 

§  Employing Millennials

§  The War on Talent – Where to start

§  The on-boarding process

§  Managing a diverse workforce – Case Study

§  Apprentices      

Confirmed speakers so far include: Age UK, Green Park, Pensions Regulator, City and Guilds, Von Essen, ARC, Optionis Group and State of Ambition

For a full agenda or to book please contact Teri Etherington on 01483 740 874 or email teri@recruitment-international.co.uk

Early Bird Tickets - £80 + VAT – why not bring a colleague and have 2 tickets for £100 + VAT

For full terms and conditions please see the website http://bit.ly/1ggibGp

I think this is going to a fantastic event full of really insightful speakers, if you would like to book please get in touch.  

I don’t need a Social ATS! by Teri Etherington

I don’t need a Social ATS!

We all know that all organisations work differently, all recruiters work differently. Some successful and some not so successful. It could be a huge amount of factors which make your role difficult. It could be your management team that don’t understand your role and support you, the demands they make of you could be just too much, you could be in the wrong environment, wrong team, not feeling engaged or motivated!

Whatever the reason don’t let it be that you only feel as though you have no time and too many demands because the technology you are using a) makes your work more time consuming than it needs to b) doesn’t help you attract and retain the right talent c) Doesn’t provide enough manageable reporting etc…..the list goes on.

You may or may not have looked into or thought about a Social ATS but here is a link to a very easy to digest white paper on why you need to.

Hope you find it useful.

by Teri Etherington

http://www.tribepad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/whitepaper.pdf

Recruitment International FD Forum

Following on from our RI Finance Directors Forum I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone assisted with the event. We had Lawspeed, Safe, InsideOut/Eden and City Jobs all exhibiting and I think they agreed that the facilities made available by BDO and the speakers all added towards making the event so good. We had 75 delegates arrive on the day and the networking area and auditorium were full, which is always nice to see.

We also had Louis Welcomme from Colleague filming the presentations for us and these will shortly be made available and well as some feedback from delegates on the day.

Organising events is always a challenging process but when it all comes together on the day and there is such positive feedback it makes it all worthwhile. Recruitment International hold a number of events throughout the year all with their own challenges. Our speakers, sponsors and most importantly our delegates all add towards making our events so popular. 

 

Take your relationships offline By Teri Etherington

Take your relationships offline By Teri Etherington

Recently I attended an event arranged by TheJobPost. I didn’t know about the event until the day before but I thought it looked interesting. As someone who didn’t know a lot about how TheJobPost worked or even what it was, and as I always want to hear about how recruiters are using (or not) social media and technology in general I managed to move some things around and attend.

John Paul (JP) from the TheJobPost was a brilliant speaker, highly engaging, interesting statistics and I think their product sounds great. We all know clients want to speak to a specialist in their field and with there being so many independent specialist agencies it can be hard to find that specific agency you want, in the right area with both the knowledge and skills to get that illusive candidate. I believe this is a brilliant way of bringing all that into the lap of the clients who are recruiting at that time. The fact that the fees are set with a minimum of 15% and the lowest the salary can go is £20,000 is a massive benefit.

I also really liked the fact that he talked about this technology being just the start of the relationship with the client, it is about having the introduction online, the tools for them to find the right recruiter then it’s up to you. You need to be the proactive recruiter you should be and take those relationships offline. It is not about hiding behind technology but about using the technology that is available to enhance your ability to make the most out of your relationships.

I also thought Broadbean had some very interesting statistics on where jobs are being posted and surprisingly Twitter and Facebook job posts have gone down! I will be following up to find out more about why they think this may be, I do think when Dan said that there are those who are using Social Media properly and getting a return but there are also a large proportion (which I have seen) who simply post jobs, no content, no engaging maybe these are the ones who are seeing no return and therefore stop bothering? Who knows, we will be finding out though.

Alan Whitford - great as always.

Overall fantastic event, nice to see the afternoon packed out, great conversations and great connections.

Help me grow my business? By Teri Etherington

Help me grow my business? By Teri Etherington

There are lot recruitment business owners from small start-ups to some of the ‘big boys’ of the industry that are still looking to push their businesses forward to the next level. When you have had the experiences of our previous speaker (David Spencer-Percival – Spencer Ogden – co-founder of Huntress) it is easier to learn from your mistakes and know what you need and where to go next. You know organisations within the industry which can assist in streamlining various parts of your business, making it go like clockwork….until the next challenge that is. But for those who are in a start up position, it could be your first business or maybe have a successful business which they have held for a few years it can be difficult to know where to turn to gain valuable advice.

This is why we run these ‘how to’ events. It is a great chance to learn about everything from knowing when and how to start growing (be that in number of staff, opening in a new sector or simply increasing profits) through to the practical things like gaining funding, legal advice and hearing from speakers who have grown recruitment businesses previously. On top of this it really is a great chance to meet up with other individuals who are in a similar boat. This event in focused on Recruitment agency Owner, Managers and Directors sp the challenges you face are likely to be similar, the feedback from previous events has been excellent so book your place now.

This is free for Recruitment agency Owner/Managers to attend. For a line-up of speakers please visit http://www.recruitment-international.co.uk/news/sme---how-to-build-an-exceptional-recruitment-business-13775.htm

Is anyone on Google+ ? - Latest blog by Teri Etherington

In July last year (around the same time I starting diving into Social Media) Google+ was launched, after the initial desperation to get an invitation and the excitement of getting one I have to say I was left feeling more than a little disappointed……

Adding anyone to my circles who added me just to try and ‘build up some numbers’ and interacting over things which I would never normally be even the remotest bit interested just to try it out I put it further and further to the back on my mind. I would post every other week, check it a couple of times a week and leave it to tick away.

Google+ contained a few contacts which I would regularly interact with but really I would chat to them on Twitter, I would only use Google+ to promote what I was doing. Over the last few weeks more and more of my friends and work contacts have added me to their ‘circles’ and in turn I have added back.

I really like the idea of Google+ and I hope that over time it is used more and more. Although I won’t be rushing to post on there everyday I think I may step it up to once a week or even a couple of times.

My First Blog - By Teri Etherington

I walked into an event this week. Not really sure what to expect or what I would learn. I arrived late and as I do I see some people I don’t know standing around chatting, after ear wigging for a bit I trundle down and find somewhere to put my coat. As I do I see a few people (about 15/20) sitting around drinking coffee and chatting, people butting in in no particular order (this is known as a track and this IS the event!). As I sit down someone gets up and leaves and no-one seems to acknowledge or even notice.

I got drawn into the conversations really quickly and taking on subjects like 'Is the CV dead' and 'New kool vs old school' they (I want to call them delegates but there not...they are just a bunch of people with some crazy ideas) sit around and debate the subject. Yes it did get a little heated in places and that I realise is the beauty. Passionate people who are not shy, have an opinion and want to share it.

Mostly I am just a fly on the wall getting to listen to people who really challenge my thinking, provide insight into this world which I am just entering and allow me to form new opinions without pressure to join in. When I do join in I find my inquisitive nature answered with so many differing opinions it's great.

After not long, a few open discussion and a few chats in the corridor with people I have never met before I find that not only do I have an opinion but that it is listened to and respected as much as anyone’s else’s. Everyone is a potential candidate to someone and if I am using technology in a certain way then that is right for me and in order to get me to work for you understanding that and then coming to my world is how to do it! I very quickly realise that there is no right or wrong, there is not a one size fits all and I need to find my own way in this world which is ever evolving around me. The overwhelming consensus is that I should just have a go, make some mistakes, be a bit of an idiot online, I manage to do it offline often enough!

It is scary! Hell Yeah! Can I really change the way I communicate, open up my network and connect on a different level both with those I know and those I am yet to meet - sure I can!

Can I really provide content which is engaging? Err I don’t know but hey I'm going to give it a go!

Thank you truLondon - some great people, great ideas and if nothing else it has given me the confidence to write a blog...sort of!

The original blog is at http://scarysocialmedia.wordpress.com/