Executive level PA required

We are currently handling an exceptional opportunity for an experienced PA to support the Group FD/Deputy Chief Executive of a highly progressive organisation based in Peterborough.

Salary up to £32,000 + attractive benefits package.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience of supporting at Board level, with strong business acumen and accurate analytical skills to disseminate information.

This is a really super opportunity for a high calibre executive PA. If you are interested or have someone in mind then please do get in touch!

Consultant Karen celebrates 10 years with ACR

I started Anne Corder Recruitment 15 years ago and one of the things I’m most proud of is the level of staff retention we have recorded. Our turnover is low and people seem to stick around – something for which I am incredibly grateful and very proud.

On that note, this week marks a special date in our calendar. Our consultant Karen Dykes has been with us for 10 years, and I’m sure, on occasion, she’d say it feels like all that and more!

Karen came to work at ACR via stints as a flight attendant, estate agent and with another recruitment agency. I remember her interview – it wasn’t that she bought into the ACR ethos, she shared it even before she came here.

And on a personal level we really liked her – which always helps!

We turned out to be right on every level. Karen shares my personal passion and the company’s passion for excellence. She is one of the most tenacious individuals I’ve ever worked with, absolutely refusing to settle for anything other than perfect.

Her achievements during that 10 years are many – most notably heading up the move to a paperless office and working tirelessly to ensure we reach the ISO industry standards year in and year out.

And she’s a great person to have at a party too!

She’ll be very embarrassed that I’ve made her the subject of the blog which she set up but for the record: congratulations Karen on your 10 years and thank you for being a great colleague and a good friend.

The green shoots of Spring

We’re in phase three!

And believe me that is good news!

Well-respected recruitment expert Roger Tweedy from the REC has drawn up a model showing the stages – from a recruiter’s point of view – of a recession. This is based on interviews with veteran recruiters who’ve weathered three recessions. (ACR has an input into the monthly report on jobs published by REC and KPMG).

Briefly, the model goes like this:
Phase 1: Fall in permanent business and rise in temp/contract business
Phase 2: Continued fall in permanent, fall in temp and slowing down in public sector
Phase 3: Rise in temp and contracts and increase in permanent business
Phase 4: Full recovery and growth

Another well known and knowledgeable recruiter Bill Boorman has charted these phases during the current recession. Phase 1 happened during the back end of last year. The collapse of Woolies, the snow in January, early bank holidays and Fred Goodwin’s pension all contributed to a decline in employer confidence with temp and perm markets both at a standstill – phase 2 – in January, February and March.

But…..
That’s changing. It’s something we’ve noticed over the last four weeks and something Bill Boorman has recognised as a national trend. Temp and contract clients are reporting slight – but continuing – increases in business levels. Permanent clients are also reporting more deals being done. Decisions on hiring are taking time but they ARE coming through – companies are starting to consider if now is the time to start rebuilding headcount to capitalise on recovery as it comes. And that means – we’re in phase three!

There does seem to be a consensus in business that Roger Tweedy’s phase 4 will come next Spring. That feels like a long way off. But for now, after the pain of phase 1 and 2, phase 3 is very welcome and we will be doing everything we can to capitalise on it for our clients, candidates and ourselves.

Equality Bill

Forty years ago the Equal Pay Act was introduced - giving men and women doing like-for-like jobs the right to the same wage.
Yet still men are averaging 23 per cent an hour more than women.
Now, a new bill is set to make employers publish gender pay gaps - though not until 2013 - and even then only companies with more than 250 staff.
The government is suggesting the introduction of the Bill will make employers transparent - that unfairness in pay differences can only be tackled if it's out in the open.
I attend regular meetings of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) diversity forums and this subject has been discussed endlessly. Having heard all points of view I don't believe this Bill is the answer. Many employers have too few women in higher paid roles. Publishing their current details could deter the type of applicants they'd be keen to encourage - which in the long run could compound rather than improve the situation.
And for those sectors which were traditionally dominated by men now taking positive steps to diversity their workforce the difference in gender pay will be misleading. The women who are entering those professions are still at lower pay levels.
Diversifying workforces takes time and the Government must recognise that.

Get the most out of your recruitment partners

“We need a secretary.”
“Tell us more. What hours will they be required to work? Who will they report to? Do they need formal qualifications?”
“Errrr, ummmmm….”

We’ve had those kind of conversations – frequently. It’s amazing how many people have identified a job vacancy, called in a recruitment agency to help fill it and that’s where the thinking’s ended. They haven’t defined the role, thought about a timescale or even considered the option of internal promotion so recruiting at a more junior level.
We can, of course, lead companies through that process. But our help can only go so far. It may be that board approval is needed before recruitment above a certain salary level can begin. Companies will know if there are any potential internal candidates – we won’t.
Before briefing begins answer some key questions internally: how does the role fit within the organisation? Job description? Responsibilities in association to budget, assets and people? Legal requirements? Necessary qualifications?
It’s good practice to have a standard approach to defining jobs. Use a template if there is one making it easier for everyone to understand the process. Cutting corners now will only cost more time and effort in the long run.
Once these details have been agreed on, brief your recruitment partners accordingly. They will help pull together a process and a realistic timetable for filling the vacancy.
Then stick to it!

Use staff creatively

When you need a spot of marketing doing, or maybe some extra IT input, the easy option – in the past - has been to employ a dedicated member of staff. The finances to do that aren’t there now in many cases.
So it’s time to think creatively.
Is there a member of your team who doesn’t currently work in that area but has an interest, background or experience in it?
Knowing your staff is key. What are their hobbies? Do they use skills in their leisure interests which could be transferred to the working environment? Have they shown aptitude in a particular area or expressed a desire to move to a different field within your company?
Now is the time to explore those options. Someone who’s very good at sales could have a feel for marketing. One of the warehouse operators may be a ‘computer geek’ who, given the chance, could be a whiz on the IT helpdesk.
We’ve had circumstances where we’ve placed marketing graduates in secretarial roles who, within months, have found themselves adding value to marketing campaigns.
Don’t pigeon hole your staff. You never know what might happen if you let them spread their wings…

The importance of keeping applicants happy

We’ve all heard the anecdotes of hundreds of applications flooding in within hours of a job ad going live. And, as the current recession deepens, more and more of us are likely to disappear under a mountain of CVs.
It’s virtually impossible for lean HR departments - already under headcount pressure - or a small company, to deal with that kind of influx.
Unfortunately those applicants – all of them – expect a response. Their CV is fired off in seconds by email and they expect to hear back almost as quickly.
When the feedback fails to arrive, hours, days and even weeks later, they begin to get disgruntled. Of course, it’s understandable from both perspectives. But, from a company point of view, it could be damaging.
The volume of social networking websites and forums available on the internet gives candidates endless avenues to vent their frustration. And, as everyone knows, people are quick to criticse and not so quick to praise. If a prolific blogger, tweeter or forum poster isn’t happy with the way the recruitment process has been handled they WILL share that.
Within minutes those comments can be right round the world – and the company’s reputation with them.
We’re geared up to deal with a high volume of applicants because it’s what we do.
If you’re launching your own search to fill a vacancy, please please please ensure your hiring strategies are in place first.