Mark Stephens Guest Post

With all the changes taking place across the digital recruitment landscape, employment agencies have been squeezed on all fronts for a few years now.

There are not many recruitment owners that have not felt the full impact of some of the fundamental changes that have been taking place

Lower salary jobs and generic roles are being pulled back in house at an alarming rate, as access to the online tools that were once exclusive to the agencies are now available for all to use and as companies look to reduce their recruitment expenditure.

Add in the rapid growth of fixed fee solutions and then, (take a deep breath) there is LinkedIn!

LinkedIn was once the best friend of the savvy executive search recruiter, but is now the gateway to ‘free to access candidates’ to their precious clients. Let’s face it, LinkedIn has helped to change the dynamics of the recruitment sector for good.

Job board advertising certainly doesn’t appear to have advanced much in the last few years, as talented candidates have become apathetic, realising that resourcers will come and find them.

That doesn’t mean that candidates are no longer registering their details onto job boards, it’s just that the good ones don’t bother adopting a pro active approach any more.

It does mean that the majority of a recruiters time is spent sifting through CV’s and then calling through prospect lists, networking and digging out leads.

Is it any wonder that the last generation of recruiters look at the visible activity levels of today’s recruiters and shake their heads with bewilderment, that they manage to turn a profit at all.

So is the tide about to turn, with the imminent launch of Its a Job Calling?

Anyone who is anyone in recruitment has probably already heard the jungle drums beating away for a few months on this project, as Chris Smith (previously of eCRM People) and his carefully assembled team, that includes 2M Tech, Hamilton Bradshaw and a number of credible NED’s, have joined forces with a telco carrier to launch a virtual telephone resourcer service that works in conjunction with a ‘free to access’ database, containing well over 1 million active candidates.

A number of job boards have already spotted the potential for this service and the team are in discussions to merge with one of the major players, that would see the size of the candidate pool dramatically increase to nearer 5 million sometime next year. The crux of the service, is that you can drop your search results into a prospect list, record your personal message and then let the system call everyone for you, for the cost of the telephone call. All the candidate needs to do after listening to the message is to press zero on their handset and they get a free call directly back to the recruiter. Obviously there will be an art to creating a compelling message that maximises candidate response, but doesn’t that exist already?

All the candidate needs to do after listening to the message is to press zero on their handset and they get a free call directly back to the recruiter.

Obviously there will be an art to creating a compelling message that maximises candidate response, but doesn’t that exist already?

Nobody is claiming that this will work for every vacancy, but I’m betting that over 50% of recruitment campaigns being worked each day, would have dramatically improved their results by utilising this service. And as a recruitment owner myself, I bet that the majority of other Recruitment owners across the country, would have liked to have seen more telephone activity from their recruiters today!

Is it a game changer? Well, if you consider the possibility of a completely free to access database and a telephony service or ‘virtual recruiter’, that costs the same as the telephone call that you would have made anyway, then it makes this service a virtual no brainer for every recruitment company in the country to adopt in some capacity. Find me just 1 recruitment owner that says he would not like to see efficiencies improved, in particular when it comes to telephone activity.

The Its a Job Calling team are taking applications to BETA the system when it goes live in January. You can go to their site and enter an email address to register your interest to participate.

Watch this space. I predict Its a Job Calling will become as familiar a name in the recruitment space as any job board is today.

Mark Stephens

The F10 Group

Company introduces unique on-demand talent development platform with a free to use version.

Today sees the official launch of Juice, a game changing cloud-based Talent Development Platform (TDP) aimed at recruiters worldwide. The Juice TDP offers on-demand video learning featuring how to guides, comedic drama and practical exercises to make learning easy and fun as well as utilising online quizzes to test individual knowledge retention.

The TDP, which can be rolled out on the same day as purchase, is easy for users to understand and they can be trained on how to use it in five minutes.

Steve Carter, CEO of Morgan McKinley, the first company to implement the Juice TDP said: “Juice has transformed how we nurture our talent. It’s relevant, innovative and fun. Traditional training doesn’t always inspire or excite so combining it with a product like Juice gave it an identity within the business where people see it as an investment and not a chore.”

“We wanted to create a learning environment where employees at all levels could log on and get instant access to relevant content that not only supported them in their day-to-day role but also offered them continuous development. After all, good people with the right skills are at the heart of our commercial success. The result is that people want to learn. We were able to tailor a lot of the content to be specific to our business. This is really important in helping staff to understand our corporate vision and drive the adoption of best practices across the organisation,” Carter said.

By delivering bite sized learning that can be accessed anytime by employees, Juice creates a continuous and consistent learning environment that leads to stronger and faster results than traditional ad hoc training methods.  Clients can work with Juice to create bespoke content for them featuring their own employees just as Morgan McKinley has done.

The startup has attracted investment from entrepreneur Dan McGuire, formerly of Broadbean, who joins the board as Chairman and Graham Palfery-Smith who joins as Non-Executive Director. The company will be headed up in the UK and Europe by industry stalwart Roy Ripper and in Asia Pacific by Matt Trott.

Roy Ripper, MD, Juice said: “Progressive organisations realise that if they don’t develop their talent they risk losing their best staff and their competitive edge. The most successful people never stop learning and developing. Our view is that giving recruiters access to entertaining and engaging content when they want it will encourage people to improve and refine their skills. We all pick up bad habits and the best way to counteract that and operate at the top of our game is to continuously and consistently improve ourselves.”

Anyone can use the Lite version for free for an unlimited amount of time. It gives access to the first two chapters of episodes and is available at www.juicetdp.com.

reed.co.uk launches Exchange marketplace to connect employers and agencies

Leading UK job site, reed.co.uk, has launched a new online marketplace to connect employers with specialist recruitment agencies to fill their vacancies. The new service is called Exchange.

Exchange: watch the demo from reed.co.uk on Vimeo.

reed.co.uk Exchange allows employers to post vacancies anonymously into the marketplace where they can be accessed only by approved, specialist recruitment agencies. Recruitment consultants can pitch and negotiate online to work on individual jobs and, once engaged, start putting candidates forward. Once an offer is accepted and a new employee starts work, the employer pays the agreed fee.

Martin Warnes, Managing Director of reed.co.uk, comments:

“Employers place real value on the service they receive from specialist recruitment agencies and Exchange is a way for reed.co.uk to foster this.

“We’re already the UK’s biggest job site, we know recruitment inside out and we have extensive reach into both employer and agency markets. This makes Exchange an obvious complement to reed.co.uk’s current job board offering.”

Posting vacancies on Exchange is free of charge, so employers only pay when they successfully make a hire. Employers can work with as many of the agencies that pitch to them as they like.

Exchange will cater for all industry sectors, with a minimum salary of £25,000 for roles being posted.

Warnes comments:

“Exchange will really come into its own for niche, harder-to-fill roles, where we can add real efficiencies to the process of engaging with the best specialist agencies in the market.

“There will be an accent on quality and control to ensure employers receive the best and most relevant agency pitches and quickly gain access to the most appropriate talent pools, whilst consultants can focus only on the vacancies for which they have specialist market knowledge.”

Consultants will be able to build their reputation in Exchange, with employers invited to leave ratings for all of the individuals they work with. In addition, agencies can tailor each pitch, including providing anonymised candidate details when they first look to engage with a new client.

For the roll out phase, agencies joining Exchange will be limited to those who are both members of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and existing customers of reed.co.uk. However, any agency can apply to join Exchange, which will be rolled out on a wider basis during the coming months.

Warnes explains:

“Listening to the needs of our users is what has led us to develop this service and, once it’s launched, that won’t change. We’ll continue to gather as much feedback as we can so we can develop and evolve the service to ensure we’re giving employers and agencies an effective, efficient and high quality experience.”

Learn more at reed.co.uk/exchange.

Jobs in UK could be at risk by a new law designed to improve the rights of those working under job agencies.

Euro-MP David Campbell Bannerman has raised concerns that the new ‘EU Agency Workers Directive’ could lead to serious job losses amongst companies using agency staff and temporary workers. To avoid the new regulations giving the workers the same benefits as permanent employees, once they have worked in the same place for more than 12 weeks, many will see their contracts terminated.

The Conservative MEP said: “Whilst it is laudable that workers are well treated, often agency and temporary workers are paid more to make up for not having the same benefits as employees. I know – I was an interim manager and consultant for some time!

“Now these EU regulations mean that after 12 weeks with the same company, agency workers will be entitled to the same pay and conditions as their permanent counterparts.

“Often, companies use agency staff because they cannot afford to take on permanent staff.

“Now they won’t have that option unless they change the staff every 12 weeks.

“That means that many people will be losing their jobs just before Christmas.”

Mr Campbell Bannerman explained that the implications for the UK will be greater than for other EU countries, he added: “The UK economy relies more on agency workers than any other country in the EU.

“8 out of 10 jobs effected by these laws will be in the UK.
“This is yet another out-of-touch law coming direct from the EU that has no understanding of how the flexible British economy works, at a time we need all the help we can get to recover from the recession.”

“This is bad news for agency staff and bad news for the businesses that rely on them. The EU has turned out to be more Scrooge than Santa.”

The law will be effective from October 1.

A recent survey suggested almost 500,000 agency workers could lose their jobs just before Christmas as businesses moved to sack temps to avoid the new rules. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8775447/Government-to-bring-in-temp-worker-law-unchanged.html

The law is expected to cost employers £1.8bn a year to abide by. http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53058.pdf (page 111)

I thought this news article from Reed is interesting as it is has a substantial number of workers surveyed, making it more accurate than many!

Looks like many companies have not still seen the advantages, or is it down to liberties taken?

Two-thirds of UK workers think social networking sites should be banned from the workplace

More than two-thirds of UK workers believe access to social networking sites should be banned from the workplace, according to new research from leading UK job site, reed.co.uk.

The survey of 4,245 workers across the UK revealed that just one-in-three employees accesses Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social networking sites whilst at work.

However, for some professions, social networks have become a staple of the working day. Almost half of Marketing and PR professionals tap into the social sphere every day, compared to just a quarter of Finance workers.

And when it comes to following Twitter or updating a Facebook status, mobile takes the lead: 60% of UK employees opt to use their phone over a work computer.

The research also revealed that one-in-four businesses has banned employees from browsing social networking sites during work hours. 35% of employers give full access and, while the remaining 40% do allow access, it’s almost always permitted for business purposes only.

Martin Warnes, Managing Director of reed.co.uk comments:

“In spite of their phenomenal popularity, the majority of UK workers would rather steer clear of Facebook and Twitter whilst they’re at work, with many seeing them as an unwelcome distraction or a risk to their privacy.

“But social networks aren’t just about liking and poking, they have an increasingly important role in business and in career development. Used in the right way, social networks offer a powerful platform for engaging with new customers, strengthening client relationships and gathering information.

Warnes recommends employers enter into a dialogue with their staff about access to social networking sites at work:

“For many, social networking is a way of life, and smartphones allow us to stay up-to-date no matter where we are and what we’re doing. So to avoid a situation where employees are surreptitiously accessing Facebook and Google + under their desks, employers should engage with their staff to determine an appropriate policy for use.

A visual summary of reed.co.uk’s research findings have been summarised in an infographic: 

Get Paid up to £6000 to Build Your Own Recruiting Business and Double Your Commission from Day One!

CNA International is offering five recruiters £1000 per month to cover their bills while setting up a new recruitment business in an industry sector of their choice. CNA Business Partners take between 60-87.5% commission, more than double the industry average. The package also includes full training, ongoing support, use of the Pertemps Group’s successful business systems, a phone and a PC.

Covering business start up costs allows new business partners to focus on earning money from day one, giving ambitious individuals the opportunity to build their own sector specific head-hunting business. As you develop the business there is the opportunity to convert to Senior Partner, own 100% of your CNA business and take home 87.5% of billing. Current Senior Partners generate average net-profits of £100,000 a year with one Senior Partner topping £600,000.

A Senior Partner package would usually require an investment of £30,000. However CNA are urgently looking for recruiters to start generating large amounts of income during this lucrative time in the market.

Lee Mason, who has piloted the scheme for the past 6 months commented, “having been in recruitment for many years and seen my hard work dramatically improve my employer’s lifestyle I jumped at the chance to pilot this opportunity. The support package has allowed me to build my sector specific business which I will soon own outright. I really would encourage other recruiters to go for it!”

Nick Sprang, Director of CNA comments:

“This offers ambitious individuals with a lack of resources an opportunity to shine. We are so confident in our business model and its success that we are prepared to invest our money in the right people”. He continues “If our partners are earning money then so are we, so it is in our interest to make sure you are achieving your potential, offering good quality continuous support”. He adds, “The recruitment market is booming providing a perfect opportunity for ambitious recruiters to make a lot of money”.

To apply for this package please visit http://cna-international.com/recruiter-opportunity.php

I just received this press release from MeetTheReaMe.com, which is basically another way to present CV’s with a video. I have to admit I am not a fan as a recruiter, as I really wouldn’t have enough time to go through every video application.

Maybe if  was looking for a trainee it would have more merit and a video could be a deciding factor if I was not sure. Based on the videos I have watched so far it would in fact put me off employing them, let alone interviewing them!

Saying that I was surprised there were 10,000 candidates registered, but when I looked further all is not quite as one would believe. The truth is they are a recruitment agency rather than a web portal and I would think the candidates would be a tad disappointed given there are only 110 jobs which go back to October 2010.

Still as an agency they specialise in media and sales so I can see how they would benefit and at least they are trying something in these difficult times.

BE SEEN, HEARD AND HIRED WITH AN E-ME

Jobseekers looking to stand out in today’s crowded and competitive job market need look no further! The newly launched e-me is a fresh, new online tool that allows candidates to apply for any job, anywhere in world. It provides a unique platform for them to shine online and showcase not just their qualifications but their personality too.

In line with other leading social media platforms, e-me is the next online professional profile to connect candidates with prospective employers. It is free to set up and incorporates all the elements of a traditional CV, with the added benefit of an accompanying short, structured video interview to highlight a candidate’s charisma, confidence and communication skills. Quick and easy to create, all it takes is a webcam, internet access and plenty of enthusiasm. Jobseekers are then free to share their e-me with employers, whether it is via email, job boards, social networks or smart phones.

“With an e-me you’re not just a qualification, you’re an individual,” comments Meet The Real Me Director Brian Michael. “We wanted to find a way for candidates to gain a competitive edge in the employment race and really shine online when applying for a role. The beauty of the e-me is that unlike the traditional written CV, people can present their personality alongside their qualifications without anyone having to leave their desk! It’s the next generation’s answer to a job application.”

For employers, the e-me is also an attractive alternative to traditional CVs, as they face mounting applications and fierce competition for any given role. Hirers and firers can now find the best matches for their vacancies whilst saving time and resources in the process – an appealing prospect in today’s job market.

Continues Brian Michael: “We like to think of e-mes as CVs with personality. For many occupations personality is considered just as important as qualifications and grades, if not more. Morale is at an all-time-low amongst jobseekers right now, especially for this year’s graduates who are competing with the massive backlog of students who failed to find work 12 months ago. With the e-me, candidates can get one step closer to employers, helping them get noticed so they can get the jobs they want.”

For more information on the e-me, please visit www.meettherealme.com