IT Recruitment – Are you ready to go contract?

The Professional Contractors Group estimate in the UK there are around 1.6 million freelancers. Many of these are in the IT industry.  The freelance market may be buoyant overall but deciding to take the plunge and become a freelancer is a major decision and shouldn’t be rushed.

Leo Woodhead, an experienced careers adviser, has explored some of the factors to consider before exchanging permanent for freelance work:

1. Are your skills in demand and what are they worth?
Are your skills in a stagnant or saturated market? Are you going to secure one contract and then struggle to find the next one? Have a look at the industry you work in and your role. You need to be realistic, if your skills aren’t in demand there is no point changing to freelance.

2. Are you motivated?
Have you got the drive?  By going freelance you are effectively running a business – the business is you! Do you have the self-discipline to work and at the same time take care of ensuring your next contract is lined up? You’ll need to repeatedly sell your services. If you hate interviews then freelance work is not for you.

3. Have you got your finances in order?Going freelance may mean you say goodbye to a steady income. The earning peaks may be high but there will inevitably be some down times when a contract has ended and the new contract hasn’t yet started. Set money aside so you are less likely to panic. Enough money to cover your overheads for 3 to 6 months is a good idea.

If you’re still keen, try and make the move to freelance gradually. Would your current employer consider letting you go part time so you could start doing some freelance work?  Perhaps this combination would suit you in the long term as well?

If you are in a strong market a major challenge will be picking the right company to work with. When you freelance it’s easy to panic and accept the first role you are offered. In time, and with experience you will be able to recognise the good and bad roles and will better understand your negotiating position.

At ISL Recruitment we work with employers who are looking for permanent and contract employees. If you would like to learn more about going freelance pleasecontact us.

Note: Although this article has many interesting points for debate the opinion expressed in the article doesn’t necessarily represent the opinion of ISL Recruitment.

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Can anybody be a recruiter?

The property market model is changing with the advent of online property agents with a centralised call centre and the vendor conducting all the viewings. High street travel agents have been forced to provide ever more specialist services to remain viable. With the vast amount of information available online people are thinking they can sell their own property and organise their own holiday. Can an organisation miss out the middle man of the recruitment agency?

Recruitment is a specialised field. Here are some areas to look at when debating whether to use a recruitment agency or start your own online search.

This article by Mukul Agarwal provides some interesting points:

1. Recruiters are best at Networking.

This is a critical skill of every recruitment agency. Depending on the type of business, recruiters are always keen to build a connected community. Well known recruiters are always important for spreading the word that the organisation is hiring. Great recruitment agents build their network offline and online.

2. Recruiters maintain coordination with all the teams.
Recruiters are experienced at coordinating the recruitment process and take numbers seriously when looking at the right number of candidates, number of interviewers required etc. Recruiters are also experienced at co-ordinating job requirements in the correct industry language.
3. Recruiters are patient.

An active recruiter will often spend a huge portion of their day on the phone to potential candidates. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance to discuss a role and carefully listen to candidates. Recruiters have to be good listeners to be able to source potential candidates which will fit the role.

4. Remember a recruiter is representing your company.

A recruiter is working with you to facilitate hiring and in doing so is also promoting your organisation. Recruiters are conducting hiring events, investing in press coverage and online media and in doing so are representing your company. Using an internal resource with conflicting priorities to manage your recruitment may be a short sighted way to execute your recruitment needs.

5. Recruitment technology.

A recruitment agency will have established recruitment management tools avoiding reliance on a mountain of emails or worst still of paper files. Professional recruiters have made their work more automated and technology driven to bring more accurate results in lesser time.

6. Patience, patience and more patience

The norm is the process won’t go to plan. A recruiter needs to have the time and patience level to re-think the strategy. Rushed, haphazard actions can have a major impact on the recruitment process. Frequently interviews need to be re-scheduled or the most interested candidate suddenly decides an internal promotion is the preferred option.

If you are an organisation looking for new talent please contact us to understand how ISL Recruitment can help you.
See more: http://islrecruitment.co.uk/recruitment-news/can-anybody-be-a-recruiter/
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And some more ideas for your CV.....

CVs continue to be one of the main tools in recruitment. Ignore at your peril regularly updating your CV. If you are looking for a role in a competitive environment then a simple word document may be insufficient to stand out from the crowd and so it’s always worthwhile having a look at other CVs to obtain some ideas.

Perhaps start by having a CV in a classic word format. This is your standard CV and provides you with the data to feed different formats.

An article by Sophie Down provides some creative alternative ideas:
1. An Infographic CV

Infographics have become a popular way to communicate data so why not follow the trend for your
CV? Perhaps send the infographic as well as your CV in a standard word document.

Credit: Zhi Liang

2.  The Google Analytics CV

Credit : Simon Fortunini

3. The Illustrative CV

Credit : Monica Gomes

4. The Google Search CV

Credit : Eric Gandhi

5. The Box CV
   

Credit : Omondi Abudho

Before you let your creativity run wild always think through your audience and what their expectations will be. If you are applying for a creative role then it’s a great idea to show how creative you can be, but if you are applying to work as an accountant it is better to stick with a traditional CV. It’s good to stand out from the crowd but maybe not to be so different that the interviewer cannot see you as a team player. Whatever you do, if you are going to position yourself with an eye catching CV make sure it is well executed – easy to read, no spelling or grammar errors, factually correct and simple for the interviewer to email to other people on the interview panel.

If you would like to learn more about what CVs have proven effective and how ISL Recruitment work with applicants please contact us.

Note: Although this article has many interesting points for debate the opinion expressed in the article doesn’t necessarily represent the opinion of ISL Recruitment.

8 Things to Remember at Group Interviews

At ISL Recruitment we have experience of many interview set ups. For those organisations with many candidates group interviews are frequently used. If you are a shy, conservative person then this style of interview may be particularly daunting. ISL Recruitment can work with clients to organise group interviews and help candidates prepare.

Here are some tips from Sophie Down of things to remember at group interviews:

1. Body Language

Watch your body language. However relaxed the conversation feels remember you are being watched. You will stand out if you are the only one in the group who is slumped back in the chair.

2. Be Punctual

It sounds so obvious, but you would be amazed how many applicants arrive late. If you are going to be late you must phone ahead and explain why. If you turn up late, it will be noticed.

3. Include Everyone

It’s a group interview not a battle. Greet the other applicants, engage and look to work as a team. They are competition, but don’t corner yourself into a position where you cannot show your skills to the interviewer.

4. Prepare

It’s unlikely you will know in advance what activities or tasks you are going to be asked to carry out. All you can do is spend time researching the company and role so that you are confident on the day. Normally there is a short one to one interview at the end so make sure you have some good questions ready prepared.

5. Be Yourself

However much you like the job if you don’t fit the company culture, the job is not going to be a good fit.  Be enthusiastic and polite, but don’t try to act in a completely different way to normal.

6. Get Noticed

It’s polite to let people have their turn, but make sure you make a significant contribution. Make sure you are getting noticed for the right reasons, but also avoid saying nothing at all.

7. Listen

Listen carefully to any group instructions so you are the person that delivers on the task and also shows the interviewer how well you can perform under pressure.

8. Follow Up

At the end of the session make a point of thanking and saying goodbye to all the interviewers and fellow interviewees. It’s never over the top to follow up a group interview with a thank you letter.

A group interview takes many forms. It could just be a panel interview or it could be executing a range of tasks with a large team of people. Normally in a group interview an interviewer is looking for a great communicator and looking to understand how you fit into working within a team – do you naturally take the lead, are you the person who comes up with all the great ideas or are you a person who quietly gets on with the task.

If you would like to learn more about how ISL Recruitment work with companies to set up group interviews or you are about to attend your first group interview please contact us.

Note: Although this article has many interesting points for debate the opinion expressed in the article doesn’t necessarily represent the opinion of ISL Recruitment.

The 7 simple rules of modern recruitment

Have the rules of recruitment really changed that much with the progression of technology?  At ISL Recruitment we embrace change whilst remembering the traditional values and skills of an effective recruitment agency.  An article byMaura McElhone summarizes what she considers to be some of the key rules in modern recruitment:

1. Include outbound email marketing campaigns in your marketing plan
Most employed people are open to new opportunities. Make sure you are targeting employed people in your campaigns – you never know your ideal candidate may be tempted.

2. Get your content right
Accept that applicants will be looking online for information about the role or company and  make sure they are being portrayed as you would wish. The information provided may be the first point of contact.

3. Put the candidate first
If you are looking for applicants where their skills are in demand it is vital it is easy for the candidate to apply for the position. Look at the whole process, from the recruiting content published and the way you deliver the interview process to the measures put in place to confirm employee satisfaction. Keep potential candidates informed of opportunities and existing talented employees engaged.

4. Don’t be too shy to collaborate
If you’re a recruitment agency start thinking of yourself as an online marketing agency. The core challenge for a recruitment agency remains the same – matching a role to the most suitable and available candidate. The only difference is the channels to market. Work with your colleagues to produce and execute your online marketing plan.

5. Don’t forget mobile
43% of job seekers look to their mobile phones to search for opportunities, and 62% of passive candidates have viewed a company’s careers site on mobile.  Make your online content mobile friendly.

6. Invest in your employer brand
The term employer brand is all about your reputation in the market place as an employer. You may already be known for producing a great product for service, but if you’re also known as terrible to work for you may have a problem recruiting the talent you desire.

7. Don’t forget outbound
Think of content on the internet as a means of saving time distributing information and a way of moving a candidate forward. A phone call or a personal email can be both a welcome and very effective way of moving an already interested candidate one step closer to applying for the role.

If you are an employer looking at how to resolve gaps in your pool of talent pleasecontact us to discuss how we can help.

Dressing for Leadership Roles

Going back a generation or two (depending on your age!) every professional, almost regardless of their industry put on a suit for work.  Today, the uniform of the suit has dissolved and we are left with having to make our own interpretation of what is formal and business casual attire. It means it’s very easy to look sloppy or over dressed. At ISL Recruitment we recommend for interview it is always better to be over rather than under dressed.

Sylvie di Giusto has written a new book called “The Image of Leadership”. In this book she has broken down the 5 levels of dress code she uses with her clients in her Executive Image Consulting business.  The book makes for interesting reading. The highlights of the 5 levels are:

WomenLevel 1 – Boardroom Attire
Men
– Crisp white dress shirts, modest ties
– High quality accessories e.g. watches, cuff links
– Dark charcoal gray or navy blue 2 or 3 piece suits
– Only black oxfords or derby shoes

– Collared dress shirts or blouses
– Dark and classic suits
– Skirts not shorter than 2 fingers above the knee
– Black tights and black low heeled shoes

Level 2 – Traditional Business Attire
Men
– Traditionally patterned shirts. Ties can be more brightly colored.
– Dark and subtly patterned suits.
– Dark brown or navy blue oxford shoes

Women
– Professional tops without a deep neckline.
– Suits can be brightly colored.
– Tights and closed toe, low heeled shoes.

Level 3 – Executive Casual
Men
– Brightly colored or patterned shirts and ties.
– Sports coats and jackets.
– Dressy slacks.
– Loafers.

Women
– Brightly colored shirts.
– Bigger and unique jewelry and accessories.
– Fashionable jacket and skirt.
– Closed toe pumps or shoes.

Level 4 – Mainstream Casual
Men
– Shirts and sweaters in a variety of colors and patterns.
– Slacks or corduroy trousers.
– Casual shoes.

Women
– Short- sleeved tops.
– Fashionable combinations of tops, vests and skirts.
– Open toe shoes.

Level 5 – Baseline Casual
Men
– Smart T-shirts or casual collared shirts.
– Dark and elegant denims.
– Tasteful sneakers.

Women
– Tidy and fitted t-shirts, blouses, or sweaters.
– Clean and crisp denims.
– Elegant sandals.

At last, there is a modern checklist for what to wear. If you’re not sure what level is best for an interview or your first day in a new job the general rule is the more you deal with a client’s money, the more traditional and conservative you should be dressed. Your dress code shows you are serious. People working in finance, law and accountancy should stay with level 2, traditional business attire whereas often if you work in marketing or another creative industry your dress code will be expected to be more casual.

If you are being interviewed by the board or having a formal meeting with a member of the board then Level 1, boardroom attire is the most appropriate across all industries, with few exceptions.

At ISL Recruitment it is not unusual for candidates to ask about the recommended dress code for a particular interview. We know our clients well and are always happy to offer advice.

Please contact us to find out about your next career steps.

Photo Credit: positiveleadershiplimited.blogspot.com, mgt.buffalo.edu, beyondcareersuccess.com, hnmagazine.com

Read more: http://islrecruitment.co.uk/recruitment-news/dressing-for-leadership-roles/

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