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Recruitment Matters International November Newsletter


Hello from the team at Recruitment Matters International!


It looks like we may be heading for the first icy blast of winter this weekend, if the forecasters are right. Time to batten down the hatches! Not so in the world of recruitment, though, where the market is still hot in many sectors. Although there is currently some caution being expressed relating to business confidence (partly due to higher inflation), encouragingly, overall sentiment is reported as continuing to improve.

In this month's newsletter:-

Ideal Marketing Company MD Jess Shailes highlights the potential benefits of working on multiple creative projects in parallel.

In Warren's article, he provides the first three of his top ten tips on how to get ahead in your recruitment career.

This month, I emphasise the importance of keeping the client or stakeholder involved at all stages of the recruitment process.


JMW's Simon Bloch and Binta Tait-Moses update us on the recent EAT ruling that a taxi driver's car and uniform rental should be deducted for national minimum wage purposes.

Lastly for news of our full range of recruitment services, including upcoming training courses, check out "What's new?" 



The importance of creative projects in business
 
                                              

Contributor: Ideal Marketing Company MD Jess Shailes highlights the benefits of working on multiple creative projects in parallel.
 
I recently watched Tim Minchin, the comedian and musician live. I’ve been following his work for years, and it didn’t disappoint. But what I didn’t realise until the programme was that Tim had taken a ten year break from comedy, and this is his ‘comeback tour’. Ten years is a long time to not notice that one of your favourite comedians isn’t doing comedy, but he has been active in musicals and other projects and has remained present in the media. 
  

He explained the different projects he had been working on, and it made me think about the variety of pieces of work we can be working on in our businesses at the same time, too.
  
The magic of multiple projects
 
Did you know that creative projects are often enhanced when you work on several at the same time?
 
This is according to psychologist Albert Bandura and his research into the cognitive functioning of creative thinkers. 
 
“People’s creative efforts are more productively deployed when they pursue multiple projects simultaneously, at varying stages of completion, shifting among them as circumstances dictate. In doing so, they’re less likely to succumb to the impediments, false starts, inevitable delays and distractions of the creative process, and more likely to experience greater productivity and goal attainment.” 
Albert Bandura
 

Now I’m not advocating multi-tasking, which can hamper productivity and effectiveness; this research relates specifically to creative projects. While you may not consider yourself to be in a creative industry, creativity is needed for: 

  • Problem-solving – helping your clients, customers or team with an issue. 
  • Marketing ideas and promotions – even if you have a team working on your marketing, the people driving the business are in a position to spot the most persuasive promotions due to their wealth of knowledge. 
  • Creating or improving products and services – spotting connections, new ways of doing things, and realising something is out of date. 
  • Finding novel business opportunities – while we may resist change, the opportunities are all around us to find new ways of doing things. 
In short, you don’t have to be an artist to be a creator. And you don’t need to work in a creative industry to use this advice. 
 
Benefits for your business
  
While it’s important to run your business, look after your clients and customers, having a business project (or several) on the burn can be both fun and fulfilling. Not only that, you may end up being proud of the results you achieve for your business! 
 
I may be biased, as I always have some sort of business project on the go, whether it’s moving us to a new system or building something creative. We’re almost ready to launch the next exciting project, but more on that in a future post! 
 
Some areas to consider
  • What business projects do you have bubbling away at the moment? 
  • What projects would you like to get started?  
  • Can you work with someone else to get them on track? 
For a free consultation about your marketing needs, from branding to PR to digital marketing, visit idealmarketingcompany.co.uk or call 01858 44 55 43.


Outbox your competition




Contributor: Warren Kemp, CEO and Trainer, Recruitment Matters International. Warren is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor
 
The recruitment sector tends to attract people that end up falling into two camps - those that join the band of recruiters and then leave pretty quickly and those that are smitten and stay for life. I’m already had my silver watch and can look back on my recruitment career as both recruiter and recruitment trainer with what feels like a lifetime of memories and, crucially, learnings.

If I had known then what I know now (as the famous phrase goes) I would certainly have got there quicker as an accomplished recruiter, but I wouldn’t change all the highs the lows, the successes, the failures and everything inbetween. It’s been character forming at the very least!

So, “What makes a great recruiter?” and “What does it take to have a prosperous recruitment career?” With those questions in mind, here are my top 10 ways to get ahead in recruitment.

Get yourself a mentor

Having access to the experience and know-how of someone who already has a great recruitment career will escalate your success. It isn’t just about how a good mentor can coach, guide and look out for you, a mentor can stop you making mistakes that could be costly. And not just for your today but also for your tomorrows. It’s a bit like learning how to walk a tightrope with a safety net underneath you. You get to experience walking on the edge but if you fall there is no lasting damage done and they talk you through what went wrong and persuade you to go again.

Pick a type of recruitment that suits your skills and personality

I’ve seen many recruiters really struggle running a temp desk and yet flourish when they switch to perms and vice versa. Headhunting isn’t for everyone and nor is junior or indeed senior end recruitment. If you get bored easily, love a challenge and need quick wins to keep your morale up and keep you interested in the task then do temp recruitment. If you prefer having all your ducks in a row and can play a strategic waiting game then get into the executive search methodology. When you find the type of recruitment that suits you it would be a shame to look back on too much time spent delivering an average performance in a different arena.

Be a specialist not a generalist

Much better to know a lot about a little rather than a little about a lot. Focusing on just one or two areas of specialism means your network in that area will grow much faster. Let’s say you talk to ten new candidates and five potential clients a day in relation to, for example, quantity surveying. That’s 3600 people per year all interested in the same subject and all knowing other people to help you expand your network. If you spread yourself across ten different job functions that’s only 360 people per year in each. Which one do you think will get you ahead in recruitment and give you a rewarding recruitment career quicker?

That's my first three of ten - more to follow soon!

 
Warren Kemp is CEO and trainer with Recruitment Matters International. For more tips, advice and information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/  telephone 0800 0749 289/ +44 (0)1529 410375 or email info@recruitmentmatters.com.

 

Interview preparation - don't forget the client




Written by Ken Kemp, RMI's MD
 
We all know about preparing our candidates before attending interviews with our clients, but how many of us also prepare the client? The market is candidate scarce in many sectors and the “war for talent” is fierce.  It is, therefore, critically important to remind your clients that they are selling themselves, their company and the opportunity as well as ‘buying’ the candidate!
 
Before your candidate goes to the interview, try to ascertain your client’s likely interview style – and the format of the meeting and if you think you need to, give a bit of advice. There is nothing wrong with trying to guide your client in ways to sell their opportunity – especially if they are a line manager who may be inexperienced in the art of interviewing.
 
Too many companies take their own selling points for granted and just don’t bother spelling them out.  Of course, you will have provided your candidates with client information and directed them to the client’s website - but no matter how well-written they are, they will often be viewed with a certain degree of cynicism.
 
Hearing about personal experiences from real people carries so much more credibility. Your client’s own views of career development paths, promotion opportunities and training will therefore sound much more impressive than the ‘corporate speak’ in the brochure. Furthermore, if they talk about social events, teambuilding and investment in people, they stand a much better chance of making the company a more attractive proposition than simply focussing on the job and how it fits into the corporate structure.
 
Just as you will call your candidate the day before the interview to brief them, make sure you also call your client. It may sound obvious, but at every interview stage, always ask for feedback on your candidate’s performance and quantify with the client any points raised. It will help all three parties in the future. At the very least, if this one doesn't work out, you will have a better understanding of the type of “animal” your client wants, your candidate will do better next time and your client will get a closer fit from you on the next occasion.
 
Ken Kemp is MD of Recruitment Matters International. For more information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/  telephone 0800 0749 289 / +44 (0)1529 410375 or email ken@recruitmentmatters.com

 

The EAT rules that a taxi driver’s car and uniform rental should be deducted for national minimum wage purposes



 

Contributors: Simon Bloch, Partner and Binta Tait-Moses, Trainee Solicitor, JMW Solicitors LLP

In Augustine v Data Cars Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) considered whether an employment tribunal had made an error by not allowing a taxi driver's car and uniform rental payments to be deducted when calculating whether he had been paid the national minimum wage (NMW).
 
The national minimum wage is a prescribed minimum hourly rate of pay which employers must legally pay to most of their workers. The right to receive the NMW applies to most workers working or ordinarily working in the UK who are over compulsory school age. The technical nature of the legislation which underpins the NMW can make it easy for employers to inadvertently fall foul of the rules.
 
In this case, Mr Augustine claimed that he had been paid less than the national minimum wage once vehicle rental and expenses for his uniform had been taken into account. Mr Augustine was employed by Data Cars Ltd as a taxi driver. He was required to provide a vehicle, either by using his own vehicle (if he had one) or renting a vehicle. He also had to pay weekly fees to the company and he included the costs of this and the costs of valeting the car within his claim.
 
At first, Mr Augustine provided his own leased vehicle but subsequently started renting a vehicle from a company associated with Data Cars Ltd. In order to be able to work as a designated "gold driver" and undertake certain jobs, he also rented a uniform from Data Cars Ltd. He was not obliged to rent the uniform but needed it if he wanted to do gold level work, which was entirely optional.
 
Following the end of his employment, he brought numerous employment tribunal claims, including that he had not been paid the NMW. An employment tribunal found that certain payments, including fuel and insurance payments, should be deducted from his salary for NMW purposes. However, it concluded that deductions were not allowable for the car and uniform rental payments because he had the option of using his own vehicle and rental of the uniform was optional as he did not have to undertake gold level work. Mr Augustine appealed this decision.
 
The EAT allowed Mr Augustine's appeal. In order to be deductible under the National Minimum Wage Regulations, the relevant payments had to be "in connection with the employment" and not reimbursed by the employer. The payments did not have to be a requirement of the employment.
 
The fact that Mr Augustine could have met his obligations by using his own vehicle, if he had one, was not relevant to the application of the test. In addition, he wore his uniform in connection with his employment and that was why he rented it. The employment tribunal had not applied the correct test. If it had done so on the facts found, it could only have concluded that both types of payment were incurred in connection with his employment and were deductible when calculating whether he had received the NMW.


This article is for general guidance only and should not be used for any other purpose. It does not constitute, and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
 
This article was prepared by Simon Bloch, who is a Partner at JMW Solicitors LLP and Binta Tait-Moses, Trainee Solicitor. To contact Simon, please email simon.bloch@jmw.co.uk or call 0161 838 2628 to discuss any matter in this article or any recruitment issue at further length.



What's new?

In case you missed them on our website, here are links to recent entertaining Q&A sessions between Holly and our Associate Trainers, Sarah 'H' Gordon and Stewart Stone:-

                 

Be honest, have you spent all year procrastinating about investing a half day on Sarah's Time Management course? If so, it's not too late to join us on December 10th :)

Interactive online open courses to look forward to in the New Year include:-

Become An Exceptional Temp/Contract Recruiter
Winning Exclusivity and Selling Retainers
Two Day Introduction To Recruitment
Head-Hunting As A Solution/Service

Business Development  

Warren's next MHFA accredited Become A Mental Health First Aider two day online course will be on January 31st and February 7th.

Remember that we can come in-house to you via Zoom in-h to you or visit your offices to deliver face-to-face training in a Covid-secure environment. It just needs a bit of forward planning, so do contact us as soon as possible to discuss your potential requirements.


We continue to welcome subscribers to our FREE pre-recorded online training programme ku.dos to help provide further support for you in your recruitment career. 
 
If you think that mentoring or consultation via telephone, Skype or video conferencing could work for you, please contact us to have a chat about your options.


Looking to hire? If you have any recruitment requirements, check out our RPO and RPR services.
                    
For more information on all our courses and our other services and products, visit
www.recruitmentmatters.comemail info@recruitmentmatters.com or call Ken on 0800 0749289 or, if you’re overseas, 0044 1529 410375.
 

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