My 30 years of recruitment experience makes me a bit of an expert in the field. I’m always asked the secret behind my success and my answer is always the same; I understand the importance of people. Recruitment is all about people. We spend so much time pitching to candidates and selling that sometimes, we forget to pay attention to the basics. By basics I mean step one. By step one I mean the job brief. I’ve probably read more briefs than you’ve had hot dinners and despite much dismay, creating an effective job brief isn’t a quick 10 minute job – it is the lengthiest process you will go through and should always be meticulously thought out.

Taking a complete job brief is step one in any recruitment process but you’ll be surprised how many people do it wrong. Your job brief sets the foundations and if you don’t spend your time getting it right I can guarantee you’ll live to regret your decision. As a recruiter, you need to get take this opportunity to learn everything and anything you may need to know about the position; who is the ideal candidate? What is their career background? What potential career progression does the role offer? Why would someone leave their job to join your client and most importantly, what kind of person are they looking for? Understanding the type of characteristics your client is looking for in a new employee is critical.

The secret to placing the best candidate is finding somebody who fits the company culture. In other words, matching people with people. To do this, you need to ask the right questions, gather as much information as possible and fully understand the needs of your client. Remember, anything you don’t ask could be the reason you don’t succeed. To help with this, I suggest creating a list of every potential question such as candidate requirements, details of the job opportunity and business visions. Ask your client to describe the previous person in the role and find out what made them successful. That way you can match up characteristics and have a better chance of placing a candidate within your target timeline. Remember that your time is precious so you need to be looking for candidates who fit your client’s needs. How are you going to do this if you haven’t got the brief right? You could end up wasting your time looking for the wrong person with the wrong skills. By making the effort to really nail the brief, you can begin to redefine and qualify expectations through debriefing with hiring managers.

Being thorough and concise helps to confirm a timeline and secure time for potential interviewsThere are so many people out there giving recruiters a bad name by offering a poor, insufficient service and there are some people out there who are only interested in sealing the deal. Understanding the importance of step one will help diminish the preconceptions your client and candidates may have made – make them feel like you really care! That’s the best and easiest way to ensure success. Doing this will put you in a much better position to sell the role to the candidate and in time, sell the candidate to the employer.

Despite popular misconception, people move jobs for opportunity, not just for a pay rise, so be sure to show your candidate room for career growth and any added benefits. In a nutshell, the job brief is every recruiter’s perfect opportunity to succeed. Use it to your advantage. I promise you will not be disappointed.

“I was placed on a 3 week temporary assignment at a solicitors practice by Lisa.  I have now accepted a permanent role with the practice and would never have been given this wonderful opportunity if it had not been for her.

Lisa has proved incisive in placing the right candidate with the right job, communicative at all stages and supportive.  I can’t thank her enough and would have no hesitation in recommending her to candidates and employers alike.”

“Charlotte is an extremely personable yet tenacious recruiter who never hesitates to go the extra mile for her clients. She is totally committed to achieving her clients’ goals and proactive in doing so. I am delighted to recommend her”
-Steve Wood, Senior Associate
-PAYNE MARSH STILLWELL SOLICITORS

Russell Allen are expanding its divisions and want to welcome the newest member of the team, Michelle who will be working on our PA/Admin division where her experience of working in recruitment and account management will prove invaluable when it comes to identifying the right PAs and administrators for roles at all levels.  Michelle enjoys  working with people and will fit in with the team. Her experience of working in fast-paced roles  will prove invaluable. We wish her all the best in this new role and I know she will be in contact with our clients and candidates shortly.

User description is the most important part of a candidate’s LinkedIn profile, according to an independent study.

The results of the study were based on the responses of 100 HR Heads in leading companies across the UK and discovered that the element of a person’s LinkedIn profile that was found to be most beneficial was description.

In addition, the report revealed that endorsements for skills and expertise followed, which in turn are more important than recommendations.

Furthermore, despite being considered a significant factor by LinkedIn users, the number of connections on a profile were valued low, at a score of just 3.5 out of 10.

Groups joined by the user are also ranked highly, above the user’s photograph, however the things the users say as a group member aren’t seen as important.

“So before contributing to groups, executives, who are likely to apply for roles, should first ensure their LinkedIn description is up to date and truly reflects the experience and skills they have.”

The research suggests that while having a LinkedIn presence is continually valuable; 38% of recruiters will review the LinkedIn profiles of senior candidates, the findings flag up some compelling sector variations.

Key rules

What should a good CV look like, and what should it contain? Start by thinking about the reason you have a CV – the reason is not to get you a job – even though that is the end result you want. The reason for a CV is to get you an interview.

A basic CV must be short, clear, complete and relevant to the job you apply for. Let’s deal with these in order.

1. Keep it short

Keep your CV limited to 2 pages, because it is faster for potential employers to read and forces you to present yourself concisely. Use plain white paper and staple it together without covering binders – this makes scanning or photocopying easier.

2. Make it clear

Your CV should be easy to read, for example:

• Use short bullet points to describe your special skills and knowledge
• Avoid long sentences and large paragraphs of text which deter people from reading the details
• For each job you have held write down what you achieved and a short list of responsibilities, in easy-to-read bullet points
• Use a clear modern font, Arial 10 point
• Spell check it and proof read it several times before sending it to anyone.

  3. Ensure it is complete

  CVs need to have a legally accurate, full and complete record of your employment and qualifications:

• No gaps – there should not be any unexplained gaps; they can easily lead to a potential employer rejecting your CV at the first screening.
• Make sure your phone number, address and email address are on your CV in a prominent position, making it easy to contact you.

  4. Make it relevant

  Many people are competing for jobs today:

• First, make sure you read the job requirements very carefully.
• Second, relate two or three things that you have achieved, or knowledge you have, to the job requirements. Make sure these are highlighted at the top of page one.

  5. Covering letters and emails

  Take care and time to create a short and compelling covering letter to use with your CV when applying for jobs:

• Describe the job you are applying for and where you heard about the job.
• List 3 reasons why you feel your skills and experience match the job requirements.
• Give a reason why you are especially interested in the job and the organisation.

  Advanced techniques

  Why isn’t my CV getting me interviews?

  At this current time of extreme competition for jobs this is a question many people ask themselves. The answer can be found in approaching the subject of your CV from a different point of view. A key factor to bear in mind is that when you submit ff your CV there will be specific requirements for this job that are different from other jobs.The question you have to ask yourself is this: do I have the skills or experience required, and does my CV show this clearly? If you do have the requirements you must ensure your CV clearly shows this. If you don’t demonstrate your ability to fulfill the job requirements you risk having your CV rejected

  Step 1: Research the role

  Before you apply for the job you need to carry out research, either via the recruitment agent, certainly the internet and probably both!

• Research the organisation – what are their objectives and priorities?
• Research the people – what kind of personal qualities do they look for in their employees?
• Research the job requirements – why does the job have these requirements, how can you attribute your job-related and personal skills to the critical success factors of the job and the type of person they are looking for?

  Step 2: Match the research results to your CV

  Your CV must show clearly that you have carried out the research to understand the role and the organisation, and that you have the relevant experience in the key areas of the job requirements.

  If your experience is not an ideal match to the job. To get an interview in this situation you will need to make extra efforts. If a recruitment agent is your point of contact they can help you. Employers can consider exceptional candidates without the exact requirements, provided that they can give evidence of:

• A track record of high performance.
• An impressive knowledge of the organisation and an understanding of the role.
• Experience or qualifications that are not the same, but similar to those required.

  Step 3: Follow up

  Contact the person you sent your CV to by phone three days after sending it to make sure it arrived and, in the case of email, it was received and readable. If possible, use the call to re-state your interest in the job, your two best qualities that make you suitable for the role and to politely ask for an interview.

Wed, 18 Mar 2015

Unemployment has fallen across the board except for under 18s, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The data, released today (18 March), shows for the quarter November to January 2015 there were 1.86 million out of work and 30.94m in work, 143,000 more than for August to October 2014 and 617,000 more than for a year earlier.

Unemployment fell by 13,000 from 600,000 to 587,000 for 18-24 year olds between the quarters August to October 2014 and November to January 2015, while the number of out of work 35-49 year olds also fell from 465,000 to 432,000 in the period.

Among those aged between 50 and 64, 282,000 were unemployed in the quarter, compared with 310,000 for the quarter August to October 2014.

However, 2,000 more 16-17 year olds were unemployed in the period, increasing from 154,000 in the quarter August to October 2014 to 156,000 in November to Jan 2015