Over the past year we have commented and written aplenty on how the recruitment market has drastically changed; with unemployment hitting an all-time low of 3.6%, the lowest it has been since 1976, earlier on in the year, it’s no surprise that our jobs as recruiters have become a little harder. The market is currently very candidate driven with fewer available candidates out there, meaning it’s vital companies now must focus on staff retention, and an excellent way to prove to your existing staff members you want them to stay is to invest in their career and give them clear progression routes.

Many employers hear progression and see this as extra work; it means negotiating pay rises, additional in-house teaching, expensive training courses and the dreaded regular appraisal chats. But, investing in your current employees’ progression can only be a good thing, particularly at the moment.

Chatting regularly with employees and holding appraisals on a semi-regular basis not only gives staff the opportunity to air any concerns and discuss progression plans it shows as an employer that you care and you are invested in bettering the business. Employees who are given clear progression routes and the opportunity to talk regularly with senior management are more likely to stay in the company for longer, meaning cutting down on recruitment costs.

Having clear processes in place for progression will help minimise the time and effort it takes for internal moves to take place and having regular staff/employer discussions will make it easier to identify internal successors to fill more senior roles which can often be harder to fill. When having these chats with your employees encourage them to identify a 1, 3 and 5 year plan so you can realistically identify if you are able to fulfil these plans.

No business can be successful without an effective, happy workforce – to have your team be invested in your business you must be invested in them first.

It is with deepest sadness that we recognise the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. A reassuring constant in our lives for the past 70 years, a Queen who devoted herself tirelessly to serving our Nation, the Commonwealth and its people, never tiring, never relenting, always displaying an enormous sense of duty.

Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this deeply sad time as we come together with the rest of the Nation to remember and mourn our beloved Queen.

Rest in Peace and thank you.

Hiring a new member of staff can sometimes fill the hiring manager with dread, especially if you’re a smaller firm with no HR department to do all the leg work for you.

Here are some tips to help your business bring new employees in as stress free as possible.

Provide a Starter Pack 

Companies often choose to provide new employees with a starter pack, this can include key information about the company, its’ history, ethos and direction but also information on departments and staff members, important phone numbers and emails and schedules of colleagues they will be working with so they can plan ahead as much as possible.

Often, starter packs are provided on the first day but why not get ahead and send this out in the post or by email instead, not only will this give the staff member a chance to actually read it through but it’ll help secure their position and start date with them; making them feel like they are already a part of the company therefore reducing the risk of accepting alternative offers.

Structure, structure, structure

So often we hear from candidates who are looking to leave their current role they’ve only been in for a matter of months because of lack of structure. Make sure you have the contract sent out to the candidate as soon as possible, again this will give them the chance to peruse the contract before their start date but also give them security knowing you’re a company who does things by the book and has proper arrangements in place.

Providing candidates with a copy of your company SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) before their start date will also give them a head start in the company. If you don’t have a formal SOP you could provide them with procedures specifically for duties within their role.

Don’t wait until they’ve started to provide them with a desk, phone, computer and email – get these in place before their first day so there can be no delay to them starting work.

Touch Base

It can be very daunting starting a new role in a company full of people you don’t know. Make sure you connect with the new employee on a regular basis in the first few weeks – give them opportunity to ask questions, bring up any areas of concern or offer further guidance and training.

Speaking of training, if the position has the opportunity to progress you could discuss with the candidate in the first week the potential to take on further skills and training offered by the company. Again, this will prove to the candidate you are serious about their career starting in the company and want to invest in their future.

Hopefully these tips will help you have a smooth hiring process and fill your new employee with confidence and help them to settle in. 

The Recruitment Industry is changing…again – what does it mean for you?

The past two years following the Covid19 Pandemic and Brexit, the UK recruitment industry has been completely turned on its’ head. We have suffered major staff shortages for various reasons resulting in the industry being very candidate led.

But, it seems things are actually changing and whilst this can mean good news for businesses, it can mean the job market is about to get more competitive.

July saw numbers of people being hired in permanent roles was at the slowest rate for 17 months, employers are being more tentative with making permanent placements and refusing to give in to demands of candidates choosing instead to invest in training for existing members of staff.

To help yourself get ahead why not take a look at our previous blogs detailing how to make your CV stand out, improving your covering letter and how to interview well and should you need further advice, what better people to ask than recruiters.

So often we register candidates who are hesitant to consider temporary work.

“There’s no stability with temporary positions”

“I only want to focus on permanent roles”

“I won’t get the proper training!”

These are just some of the phrases we hear on a regular basis here at JR Personnel when in fact temping can be an excellent way to “try before you buy” or to get a foot in the door of a reputable company.

Here's what some of our temporary workers had to say about their temping experience! 

-          “Whenever I find myself between jobs I have turned to JR to help me find temporary work, and they have never disappointed – I was usually working within days of contacting them.”

-          “I was offered a temp role with a local company via JR. After a period of time I was made a permanent member of staff and although I felt sad to be leaving JR, who had always supported me and given me good advice, it was wonderful that the company saw the potential in me to make me permanent.”

-          “Temping is a good way to learn new roles, gain experience and learn different software packages, I would recommend it to anyone. You accrue holiday pay so you don’t have to worry about losing money if you wish to take a break. JR Personnel have the friendliest staff you could wish for.”

-          “After a month out of work, JR called to say there was a role they thought I’d be interested in, initially for one month temping – I said yes and started the next day. Six months later, I’m still here and was taken on permanently 3 months after starting. I was so pleased about being made permanent as I’d settled down happily in the job and didn’t want to leave.”

-          “I started temping with JR following redundancy, I was nervous at first as I’d never temped before but everyone at JR soon put me at ease with everything. I secured a temp role in Leicester and loved the role. They made me feel like a permanent member of staff straight away.”

If you're available immediately and looking for a position which can start right away, why not send your CV in to us today: [email protected]

So you’ve found a new role and have handed your notice in, but your current employer throws a curveball and makes you an offer to stay…this is called a counter offer and in the current candidate-led market are becoming more and more frequent.

Counter offers can be very appealing, for one you already know the role and company inside out, there’s less paperwork and you don’t have to get to know a whole new group of people again. But what about the negatives? Below we will provide you with ten reasons as to why accepting a counter offer is not always the best idea.

1. The Reason You Want to Leave, Will Not Go Away

There could be several reasons you may want to leave your current job. It could be obvious things like work hours or co-workers, or perhaps you just don’t like the job of the company in general. 

This can be a problem when you receive a counter offer where the only thing that changes is the salary. Increased pay will be an attractive option at first, and this compels most people to accept the offer.

This can be an issue three months down the line when you are unhappy again because it was not just the salary you were dissatisfied with. 

If there are multiple reasons you want to change jobs and receive a counteroffer with an increased salary, the best thing to do is to reject it. Odds are, you will experience long term happiness and personal satisfaction at another job that is more suited to you than your current role.

2. Your Loyalty Will Be Questioned

It does not matter how good your relationship is with your employer, if you are receiving a counter-offer as a response to your resignation, your loyalty will be questioned as an employee both then and in the future. Even if the job has room for promotions and professional growth, you probably will not be the first employee they pick at promotion time.

Resigning breaks the initial trust that was once there, and it will hinder future success at the job. So even if the counteroffer is a good deal, you are likely to progress more at a new job where you have not threatened to quit. 

3. You Might Not Be Appreciated as an Employee

If you hand in your resignation and your employer gives you a counteroffer, it may suggest that you were not fully appreciated in the first place as a valuable employee.

The offer is proof that they can offer more money or office space, for instance, and that they were initially holding out on you. 

If it takes you to threaten resignation for the company to treat you better, you might need to evaluate the company’s integrity. 

4. Job Does Not Meet Your Long Term Goals

People will often hand in resignations or look for jobs when their current position does not fit the picture they had for their ideal life or goals. If you accept a counteroffer, you could potentially be denying yourself your dream job. 

When thinking of accepting a job offer or counteroffer, you should make sure that the position meets your long-term goals either now or in the future.

There is no point in investing time and energy into something you do not want to be doing for the rest of your life. So before you accept a counteroffer, think of why you wanted to quit in the first place. Is the job making you happy? 

6. It Will Not Guarantee Job Satisfaction 

People hand in resignations and look for new jobs when they are not satisfied with their current position. A counteroffer may give hope of better working conditions and salary, but statistics show that this is often not the case. 

Around 50% of people who accept counteroffers leave for a new job within 12 months. Just because the offer may seem like a good option, it won’t guarantee job satisfaction down the line. 

7. Employer Doesn’t Know How Long You Will Stay

If you end up accepting a job counteroffer, your employer will always be questioning how long you will stay at the job since you were so willing to quit.

This could result in similar problems, as mentioned above, such as hindering your future success in the position. You are more likely to be viewed as expendable than other employees who have not handed in resignations. 

8. Your Employer Might Not Be Paying You Enough

A lot of counteroffers involve a pay raise, which may seem very tempting to accept if the higher salary if it is the main reason you handed in your resignation.

Before you agree to a counteroffer with a pay raise, it is crucial to question why you have not had a pay raise before. When this happens, it is good to do some research using a salary guide and find out what you should be earning. 

If you were not earning what you should have been before the counteroffer, it might be good to consider leaving the company for another that will appreciate your work. 

9. It May Be a Long Time Before You Get Another Raise 

Think about it if you were leaving your current employer because you felt you were not getting paid enough and they only way to get a raise was to offer your resignation then the odds of you getting a raise in the future are slim.

10. If Times Get Tough You'll Be The First To Go 

If your current employer experiences hard times or if the economy, in general, gets bad they are more likely to hang on to employees that have shown loyalty rather than ones who have been job shopping for another opportunity.

There are so many things to think about when changing roles and if you need any guidance we are here to help.

Following on from our blog last week discussing the current candidate climate and labour shortage we are putting it out there…we want you!!!

We are seeking candidates to fill positions within customer services, administration and accountancy positions, all you need to do is register with us and we will do the hard work for you!

So, what does registering mean and how can you go about it?

Registering with JR Personnel means you will have access to some fantastic positions which most likely will not be advertised on other platforms or by other agencies. We recruit for all office based roles in the Leicestershire region ranging from Office Junior to company Director in both temporary and permanent positions, so whatever you’re looking for it’s likely we will be able to help.

Registration is super simple, we will ask you to complete our registration forms, provide proof of identity and then have a brief chat over a video call with one of our agents. We like to get to know our candidates so we can place you in the perfect company and industry, having a chat also gives you the chance to ask any questions or relay any concerns you may have.

So, if you’re wanting to look for something new, why not register on our website today or send your CV in to [email protected]

You may have seen our post on Facebook this morning advertising for temporary workers to get in touch; to say there’s a shortage of candidates at the moment is an understatement. It’s not just us feeling the strain however, labour shortages are the new global pandemic according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation with them reporting that as the market currently stands we could see a fall in expected GDP by 1.2% by 2027 which will cost the economy between £30 and £39 billion every year. 

A significant cause of this is the fact that many candidates are lacking the skills required to fulfil positions. Last week we posted a blog about World Youth Skills Day which is aimed at raising awareness and tackling this very issue; opening up dialogue and educating young people with skills which will be relevant to roles and careers later in life. This lack of skills is directly impacting businesses as people are making more and more demands when it comes to choosing which role is right for them, it’s definitely a candidates market, particularly those who are trained and skilled in specific subjects, with a power which they have never had before.

Cost of living of course impacts the decisions people make when choosing a new career. Childcare costs have risen at an exponential rate in recent years, meaning those with children are having to choose between working or staying at home. Fuel costs are increasing the demand for hybrid and flexible working patterns, or working from home 100% of the time, post pandemic we are still seeing large amounts of people refusing to go back to the office, again putting strain on businesses and the recruitment process.

So what can be done? Bridging the gap between educational skills and workplace skills, particularly those in data and technology as it’s expected 5 million workers being under skilled in basic digital skills by 2030, a strong bond between businesses and educational settings, changing legislation for immigrants to attract skilled workers, offering training including learning English to assist with integration into work and society. Various things can be done but will take time. In the meantime, if you're looking for a job and are a skilled worker, get in touch with us today to hear how we can help. 

It’s Friday and we are set for a scorcher of a weekend, what could be better, just make sure you have your factor 50 at the ready!

Not only is it nearly the weekend but it is also World Youth Skills Day which has been celebrated every 15^th July since the UN established it back in 2014. The holiday was initiated to celebrate and raise awareness surrounding the importance of equipping our youth and young workers with the skills for future employment and entrepreneurship.

More and more young people are choosing to stay in education for longer, which is a great thing, but it does mean the youth labour population is shrinking, therefore those who are available are more in demand than ever before. Not only that but on a global scale it takes on average a young person over a year to find a suitable, stable job according to the International Labour Organisation. If you or someone you know is struggling to figure out their next step since finishing education we can help.

Here at JR Personnel we celebrate our younger candidates and try to offer them as much guidance as possible when registering with us, including CV writing tips, interview coaching and regular emails and calls to keep in touch once  placed in a role. We have worked with many of our clients for decades so have a strong relationship and understanding of what kind of candidate will be a great personality fit. Even if you don't have any work experience yet we can assess personality wise you will be a great fit for certain companies and can impress this upon our clients, resulting in more opportunities. Send your CV today to have a chat with one of our recruiters and start your new career! 

How to Improve Your CV - Let JR Personnel Help 

Let’s face it, writing a CV is not exactly an enjoyable task, nor is it probably how you want to spend your free time when there’s so many other important or fun things to be done, BUT a good CV can really make you stand out from the rest and, when the average employer only spends between 5-7 seconds looking at a CV, every word really does count.

See our tips below to help make your CV be top of the pile!

LAYOUT 

Consider your layout when creating your CV – it’s always handy for employers to be able to see your name and contact information clearly, this should be at the top of the page and include your address (your post code will suffice) contact email and telephone so hiring managers can get in touch to arrange easily to ask further questions and arrange interviews etc.

PERSONAL STATEMENT 

Your personal statement should be a short paragraph or a few lines giving a brief insight into who you are and what your skills and ambitions are. Try to avoid generic phrases like “hard working individual” and “good team player”, draw on specific skills which you have picked up from education, previous employment or life experiences. Keep it short and sweet!

PREVIOUS ROLES AND EDUCATION 

If you’ve had previous roles you should list these with your most recent first, make sure you include job titles, start and end dates and also why you left or are looking to leave the role. Bullet point or write a few lines of your main duties and responsibilities, this will give hiring managers a clear and concise view of your skills and experiences. List education after job roles, most recent first. If you have several qualifications save time and space by stating how many pass grades you have, for example: “8 GCSE’s grade C and above including English, Maths and Science”.

If you are applying for your first role you can list education first and lengthen out your personal statement, detailing what kind of role you’re looking for and any skills and experiences you’re hoping to learn. You can also include a hobby and interests section where you can list any additional skills or interests which give an insight into your personality, it's good to also provide some character references, a teacher or club leader will do.

CV RELEVANCE 

I can’t stress this enough; it is so important to ensure that your CV is relevant to the position you’re applying for. This may mean you need several variations of your CV if you’re applying for a number of different roles but it will one hundred percent be worth it. You can do this by looking at the job specification of a role you’re applying for and pick out key words to reiterate and offer examples of in your CV. If a hiring manager is looking for Team Leader experience detail examples of this and be specific with how large a team you’ve managed before.

AND FINALLY...

Remember to try and keep your CV as short as possible, ideally one or two pages of A4 paper. If you’ve had a lengthy career with numerous positions this can be tricky, but you don’t need to bullet point duties and responsibilities for every single role, just the ones relevant to the position you’re applying for or within the past ten years. 

And remember, if you need further CV writing advice, someone to check your CV over and offer further tips and improvements feel free to send your CV in to us at: [email protected] and one of our consultants will be happy to assist. This is a completely free, no pressure service so why not get in touch today!