Welcome to issue 293 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. 

CONTENTS

Visit http://www.careersinrecruitment.com for the latest recruitment industry jobs.

My Favourites

www.FT.com - keeps me up to date with what is happening in the market and the recruiting opportunities for our client base.

maps.google.co.uk - great way on finding the route to meet with clients and relevant venues associated with networking, meetings, and events. Plus it is just funky seeing where you live from an aerial view!

www.youtube.com - not only a recreationally interesting and informative site, but also one that enhances new ideas.

Provided by George Zafirakis of ARC Technologies Ltd

Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm

back to top

Advertisement

Make it easy on yourself when choosing a Recruitment package:

  • Easy to use, easy to capture candidate information (from CV's)

  • Easy to publish to Job Sites, Easy to produce all documentation

  • Easy to pay and invoice and send copy timesheets with PDF documents

  • Easy to decide to purchase, rent or ASP Talisman.

Easy to use, yet powerful enough for all requirements.

Find out more from Tony Doherty on 01582 478 888.  Beacon, The Friars, 82 High Street South, Dunstable LU6 3HD

Article One: Stop Wasting Money on PR by Dan Doherty

The PR profession has a problem in many people’s eyes, and it’s a big one – it’s also one that’s shared with the recruitment industry: justifying the value of the client’s spending. But when it comes to evaluating the value of PR in the recruitment market, there are several things that recruiters could be doing to make sure that they get value from every penny they spend promoting their business.

There’s an old saying in business: any road will take you there if you don’t know where you are going. And it’s a valuable lesson when thinking about investing in PR. So many people I meet decide to spend on PR when they feel that other sales activities aren’t working. They don’t know why PR would be a replacement for failing sales activity but they know that all successful brands invest in PR so they assume that’s why, and decide they ought to do it too.

Another recurring theme is how late in the process people turn up the gas on a PR push, often when it’s too late.. Too many companies invest very little in promotion when things are going well, and then find themselves buying PR for the very first time just when things are tough, as though you can hit the ground running with PR at the drop of a hat. And when PR ‘doesn’t work’ fast enough the gas is turned off again without any sense of knowing whether it did, would or could work at all.

To be the superbrand that your clients simply can’t imagine being without, will pay top rates for and recommend to their associates, needs you to have faith in your business first - and in your PR and marketing company second. Imagining that your brand can be a super one means that you must take a long term view of any marketing and PR investment. If you are not going to commit to at least one year (other than if you want a short-term stunt) then don’t bother starting. But if you are confident enough in what you have built, then - if you haven’t already - think about a medium-term PR plan now, and in a year you will be amazed how much more resilient your business is. But how will you know what is down to PR and marketing? Back to the evaluation question.

If you know where you are going, in other words you know the goals you have for your PR plan, then evaluating it is much easier than people would have us believe. There’s little need for complex evaluation science and mathematical metrics when you can start by agreeing that if you don’t have specific marketing goals you are throwing money down the drain. Of course much marketing and PR is intangible – how can you assess the value of an editorial compared to an advert that’s designed to sell? Well – say your goals include increasing the levels of repeat business with clients, or increasing your average fee. You can test the effectiveness of your sales activity against when and where PR activity could have had an impact in making your sales activity more effective.

Don’t allow yourself to be fooled into believing that a large amount of coverage is a good thing without planning for where it needs to be, when it needs to appear, what key messages it needs to include and how will it support your sales activity. One company I was asked to help once was very sceptical about spending any more on PR, as they already had folders full of press clippings without seeing any real effect on their bottom line. Just one discussion showed that the cuttings were almost a form of vanity publishing - as they were in the same publications as all the company’s competitors and had nothing new to say. But a new approach brought an amazing return.

An evaluation of the company’s objectives showed that it wanted to be seen as not simply a contingency supplier but more of a consultant to its clients. Several well-written, well-placed opinion pieces in major newspapers brought results that hundreds of trade clippings would never have achieved. The company became more able to win retained assignments at higher fees and with more clients. The point is that designing PR strategies that exactly met the company’s objectives meant that we could evaluate effectiveness. OK, PR is intangible but we could see the effect it was having in leveraging the tangible sales activities.

If you are serious about making yours a superbrand then do three things: first -don’t put off investing in PR waiting until things get tough; second - align your PR objectives with your strategic business plans, setting specific goals and third - commit for at least a year and you WILL get tangible results. 


Dan Doherty is chief executive of Cadence Market Strategy. His recruitment experience spans four decades, and he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. He is also a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Marketors - the City Livery Company for leaders in Marketing. dan@thecadenceteam.com and www.theCadenceTeam.com 

back to top

Advertisement

Are you getting enough? More importantly, in 2007 will you get enough?

1Job.co.uk sends over 1,000,000 highly relevant quality candidates to online job adverts in the UK and Ireland each month. Are you getting your share?

The major job boards - general, niche and local types – already use us to advance the quality and quantity of visitors, applications and registrations made through their sites each month. We can help you get your share of the right candidates in 2007. For more information and to start getting all your job adverts sending you candidates directly, visit www.1JobTrial.co.uk today.

 

Article Two: Review of the REC’s Progressive Sales Training Course By Malgorzata Kitowski

At the end of last October I spent a fascinating two days attending the REC’s Progressive Sales Training Course in London. Aimed at consultants and managers with at least one year’s business development experience, the course promised to “enhance business development skills to ensure a more strategic, long-term and profitable working relationship with clients.” I work as a graduate recruitment advertising consultant for The Graduate Group. Having once studied psychoanalysis, I was keen to find out how to apply psychology theories practically in the workplace.

The enthusiastic Andrew Carr led the course. Andrew is a tutor and examiner on both the Certificate in Recruitment Practice and the Diploma in Recruitment Practice. He delivers a wide range of training programmes including sales, interviewing and management. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development - Chartered FCIPD, a Fellow of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation - FREC and a Member of the British Psychological Society.

Here are a few highlights of the course contents:

The course included a variety of self-evaluations designed to highlight our strengths and weaknesses, eg. Score yourself on a scale of 1-10 on questions such as “I blame everyone else when sales are down”, “I am afraid of the competition” and “I bounce back with clever cliches and react badly to buyer opinions”. 

We imagined the Buying Process as a bath: existing clients being the bathwater, prospects being the water spraying out of the shower, and lost clients going down the plughole. 

Another imaginative concept was that of the “Price Benefit Burger”. This is the idea that when talking about cost, sandwich the price between two benefits in your dialogue: talk about a benefit, mention the price, then move on swiftly to another benefit, to give a greater sense of value, rather than isolating the cost as a single statement.

We also analysed the meanings of “passivity”, “aggression”, and “assertiveness”, demonstrating these through picture diagrams, before diagnosing ourselves as being aggressive or submissive.

The most interesting part of the course involved looking at four very distinct personality types: Amiable (supportive, cooperative, diplomatic, patient, loyal), Expressive (outgoing, enthusiastic, persuasive, fun-loving and spontaneous), Driver (independent, candid, decisive, pragmatic and efficient), and Analytical (logical, thorough, serious, systematic and prudent). We then looked at how each of these four main personalities makes decisions and the different buying processes for each Type. To ensure a successful relationship with a client, the consultant must adapt his or her behaviour to the client’s “type” and act in the way to which the client will respond the most. For example, an impulsive and creative Expressive will buy from you if they like you, so praise them, ask for their input, and create a good atmosphere. A competitive Driver, however, is very results-orientated and motivated by money, so keep the pitch functional with very little small talk. 

We also looked at “Push” and “Pull” selling styles; the differences between an “explicit” and “implicit” need, Seen / Unseen behaviour, and effective questioning skills. The two days finished with Assertiveness Tips, and we also took away an individual Action Plan.

I thought the course was a good practical introduction to how to apply psychology ideas in day-to-day environments – both professional and personal. It showed how to adapt to a buyer’s specific buying style and particular business priorities, and how to get more committed clients. I left feeling stimulated, focused and motivated. This course would be most appropriate for consultants and managers who have long-term relationships with a client base they wish to nurture, for those with an interest in psychology and communication theory, and for those who would prefer to go on an inspiring course instead of read a book. Slightly illegible diagrams on the flip-chart aside, the course was a good introduction to improving communication avenues, and the folder we took away was a useful reference document.

For more information from the REC email Lauren.Street@rec.uk.com or visit www.rec.uk.com. The course runs at least once a quarter


Malgorzata Kitowski is a Senior Consultant at The Graduate Group. She can be contacted at Malgorzata.Kitowski@graduategroup.co.uk. www.thegraduate.co.uk 

back to top

Advertisement

To be the best in 2007, learn from the best! 

A highly interactive, motivating Fast Track Induction three day course from Lander Associates. New to the industry? Gain the knowledge and tools you need to kick start your career. A more experienced consultant? Then refresh your ideas and working practices. You will return to work energised, motivated and keen to successfully make permanent placements and/or place temporary/contract staff using proven and up-to-date best practice methods. 

Filling fast (exclusive ukrecruiter rate available) so book now for 16th – 18th January in London. 

Call us on 01582 791838 or email emma@landerassociates.co.uk. More information on www.landerassociates.co.uk 

Don't Miss This

Discount offer: Fast Track Induction course from Lander Associates
Lander Associates are offering ukrecruiter subscribers an exclusive rate for their renowned Fast Track Induction course on 16th – 18th January in London. Normally costing £895.00 per person, ukrecruiter subscribers can book for just £795.00 per person. Call now - only few remaining places - on 01582 791838 or email emma@landerassociates.co.uk quoting reference: ukrec100107 

Croner Reward Management Rewards Survey 2006
Leading pay and benefits consultancy, Croner Reward has released results of its latest annual Management Rewards survey. The survey is based on 14,385 job records provided by 675 companies representing over 1 million employees in the UK. The survey has revealed that the average UK manager is currently paid £31,289 and that pay has increased by 4.4% for managers in the last 12 months. Regional differences mean that managers in Central London earn almost 28% more than their counterparts in the South West region. The survey also shows that those working in the computer services industry have the highest average pay, £36,210 – 15.7% above the national average. For more information, or to order a copy of the Management Rewards report (priced £330 +p&p) please call 01785-813566, email enquiries@croner-reward.co.uk or visit www.croner.co.uk/reward 

HR Directors Business Summit 2007, 29-30 January, Celtic Manor Resort, South Wales
Now in its 5th year, the HR Directors Business Summit is the “essential networking event for Europe’s leading HR experts”. The summit features a “world class” conference and over 80 exhibitors showcasing the latest technologies and services that are streamlining HR practices. The programme examines nurturing leadership, change management, employment law, employee engagement and effective training, as well as many other ideas and innovations in HR. For full programme details, speaker list and to register, please visit www.hrevent.com or call +44 (0) 20 202 7530 

back to top

Discussion Board Summary

Don't forget to visit The Discussion Board. Current topics on the site include:

Any postings you or anyone else makes will be included in the weekly digest. Sign up for the free digest here or hit reply to ask me to include your email address

It is free to use the discussion board and you don't have to register to view messages. Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

back to top

Online Recruitment Update (sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk for "the UK's favourite job posting system")

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 6th January 2007
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk, www.totaljobs.com, www.monster.co.uk, www.jobs.nhs.uk, www.jobsite.co.uk, www.reed.co.uk, www.1job.co.uk, jobs.tes.co.uk, www.jobsgopublic.com and jobs.guardian.co.uk. Hitwise don't aggregate data from sites who form part of a network such as fish4.co.uk For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

Louise's UK Recruiter blog
In the past week I've talked about the blogs feed page I've created, treating your candidate like a king and setting objectives for 2007.  You can read "Louise's UK Recruiter blog" at http://ukrecruiter.typepad.com 

You can keep up to date with other the recruitment blogs from the UK via the UK Recruiter - blog watch page at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/blogs.htm

Press Release: GAAPweb.com wins two industry awards 
GAAPweb, the UK’s specialist jobsite for finance professionals, triumphed this week at the PASS Magazine annual WEBlife awards, winning first place in two separate categories. The first award, for the ‘Best Online Recruitment Company Website’ was based on PASS Magazine reader votes. GAAPweb has won the category for two years running. They were followed in second place by JobsFinancial and in third place by TotallyFinancial. The second award for ‘Best Online Recruiter’ was judged by a panel of independent experts, which gave the site a rating of 9/10. www.gaapweb.com 

This section is sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk; "the UK's favourite job posting system".

back to top

Please forward this newsletter on to any colleagues or recruitment friends who you think might like to receive the newsletter. It's free for them to sign up - all they need do is complete the form below.

Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk

Subscribe

Don't forget to let your colleagues know about this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe - it's completely free of charge - all they need to do to receive their own copy of the ukrecruiter newsletter is complete our simple form 

Unsubscribe

To unsubscribe from the ukrecruiter newsletter please reply to this message with the subject line "unsubscribe".

 

Feedback

Please feel free to email me your comments on the newsletter: the sort of articles you like, the sort you don't read, new features you'd like to see, etc.  Feedback from everyone is always welcome!  

 

Advertising

If you are interested in advertising a product, service or internet site in the newsletter please contact me by email
 

If you want see back issues of the newsletter visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/recnet

NOTE: This newsletter may be copied and distributed free of charge in its entirety. Individual sections may NOT be copied or distributed without the prior written agreement of louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk.

Copyright (c) 2006, UK Recruiter Ltd