Reasons for getting into recruitment

It's something we all ask all people looking to get in the recruitment industry. After all, it's important that people are motivated by the right things and have the right sort of personality. However:

"So, why do you want to get into recruitment?"

"Because it's easy and I'm Spanish."

I see.

Record Results announced

The end of the Aston Taylor financial year is in October, so we’ve just finished counting up all the pennies to see how much we’ve taken in over the last twelve months. The good news is we’ve exceeded all expectations. Again.

Firstly, the company as a whole managed its finest year, increasing overall revenue by 23% and setting a record for the best individual month – up by 38% on the previous year. There was also a 16% improvement on our best-ever quarter during 2006-07.

Our top biller set records left, right and centre. As well as increasing the record set for the highest-ever individual fee (a record they already held) by 16%, they improved on the previous best year for a consultant by 33%. The record for best quarter was smashed by a whopping 88% - all these records coming from the efforts of one person.

Prizes were given, champagne was drunk (as previously mentioned), and the first company share options were handed out to staff on a night of great celebration for all.

End-of-year celebrations

Last night was the official party to celebrate the end of the Aston Taylor financial year. The entire company sipped champagne, dined at an expensive restaurant and partied long into the night to mark our most successful year to date.

In a fun-filled night, the end-of-year results were announced, including record levels for our highest individual biller for the month, quarter and year, as well as our highest average fees and overall income generated.

This means everyone’s feeling a little delicate today, so if you’re calling us, please try not to shout!

Joke of the week (apparently)

OK, here goes. If they're all as bad this one, maybe we won't make this a regular feature...

How many recruitment consultants does it take to change a light bulb?
1) That's difficult to answer, first we need to see if you really need the light in that area
2) Discover historically why the light went out
3) Analysis to determine whether it's the right light bulb
4) Then maybe we can recommend appropriate action - although we may need to do additional studies to determine the light sensitivity of employees visiting the area
5) After that develop RFPs and RFQs
6) Evaluate the abilities of various maintenance workers to perform the task
7) Recommend personnel selection
8) Supervise the activity

Hmmm.

Job-hopping

CVs are crucial things. They are your personal manifesto, the ultimate appraisal of your skills and achievements to date, and are also your one chance to get a foot in the door with prospective employers. When your application is one of sometimes hundreds an employer has to wade through, having had a number of roles in a short space of time is something many people are afraid of. Does it always mean you’re unreliable or unable? Or is there a positive side too?

Looking from a negative perspective, the historical view is that a steady career progression, perhaps with just one company, is the best way to indicate loyalty and consistency. Yet others would say that in the modern job market the opposite could be true – particularly in highly competitive fields like IT.

Send us your CV and we’ll be able to give you the best advice out there.

Celebrating deals

They’re the reason we’re all here. No recruitment company (or any sales company for that matter) would survive without a regular supply of deals. The consultants who make them happen put in the hours and get rewarded with the commission accordingly. But how do you mark the successful completion of a placement?

We know of some companies that ring a bell or blow a whistle and others that operate a reverse psychology approach by listing those who have not done deals on a ‘wall of shame’. At Aston Taylor we all celebrate every deal together; the successful consultant is obviously the focal point of the celebrations, but it’s very much a team effort.

Find out more about our culture and successes.

So, what is your name is exactly?

Obviously you can’t please all the people all of the time. Like any diligent company we do our best, but sometimes confusion does occur. It could be something simple like having a person’s title or job role wrong on our database, or contacting the wrong person at a company. We all make mistakes.

But we didn’t expect to get a broadside from Person A when we sent them a CV for a prospective candidate. We were told, in no uncertain terms, that we had incorrectly used Person B’s name and email address and should have sent the information straight to Person A. Furthermore we were told that Person B didn’t even work there anymore.

Fair enough, you might think, but when the angry email from Person A came from Person B’s email address (and used their name as well), it left us a little at a loss as to what the true identity of the person really was…

Contact us and let us know your most up-to-date information.

Lucky Dip

The latest game our consultants are playing in the office is proving a real hit. Lucky Dip, running for the Management Division, is a motivational game where for every interview one of the team books, a prize is drawn at random from a box of exciting treats.

The star prize has probably been 500g bar of Dairy Milk chocolate, but among the usual array of sweets there are some more unusual, er, gems to be had. These include a plug, a tin of Spam and a sponge. This game, however exciting, has not replaced the ever-popular noughts and crosses battles that still break out (one move per interview booked), or the occasional ‘ten interviews for a bottle of wine’ game – a particular favourite.

Does this sound like the kind of place where you’d like to work? Find out more.

Recruitment Round-up 14/9/07

This week’s look at the sillier things we have come across features three frankly bizarre entries, showing the rather odd nature of some the people in this industry. First up is the tale we heard from a client of ours of a candidate they arranged an interview for who asked if he could dash off early as he had to get back to work – after spending the interview, without a tie, munching tic-tacs.

Then there was the candidate who cancelled an interview as their sister’s house had suffered a terrible fire (obviously a terrible tragedy). However, the person in question couldn’t quite seem to agree with themselves as to which day this awful event had happened – changing the story several times.

Topping the bill this week though is the manager we know who once, many years ago, witnessed one of his consultants being chased around the office by a Hell’s Angel brandishing a plank of wood, trying to get hold of his pay packet!

How to choose the chores?

Every office has tasks that no-one wants to do: putting paper in the printers, changing the water cooler, loading the dishwasher – even clearing your desk. Yet we all know that these things have to be done. So how do you decide?

At Aston Taylor, we have a ‘competition’ for who gets to make the tea at three (called, originally enough ‘Tea at 3’) – the winner is the person with the lowest phone time for the previous day.

Others go to more extreme lengths. Like the client of ours who decided to have a press-up competition, including all staff from the MD down, to choose who made the coffee. I suppose it comes down to who wants to avoid the chore the most…

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Picture the scene: you’ve put in the hours hitting the phones and developing new business, you’ve negotiated great terms for your upcoming deal and you’ve got the perfect candidate. Just one problem: the candidate doesn’t turn up.

Now there are always going to be valid reasons for someone not attending an interview – they may even not have the courtesy to let you know, but when they do it’s possible to get the occasional gem. Like the candidate who said (word for word):

“I woke and found that my eye had swollen so much that I looked like something out of a horror film and I'm waiting outside the doctor’s surgery for them to open so I can get it fixed - must be due to a protein build-up on my contact lenses.” On telephoning the work number five minutes later, the candidate answered the phone.

Or the chap who called in to say he was feeling too sick to go to the interview, and then proceeded to prove how sick he was by vomiting down the phone line. Still, that’s better than the candidate who claimed their father had died – subsequently proven to be a lie. How low can you stoop?

A share of the spoils

So we’re talking incentives again here. There are obviously great financial rewards to be had in the recruitment industry, but given that any top recruiter can make excellent money, what inspires someone to stay with any given company long-term?

Aston Taylor have today announced a share scheme. Based on longevity of service and performance, all members of staff can qualify for share options that will pay dividends and increase in value as they contribute to the company’s success.

In an industry plagued by high staff turnover and paranoia surrounding staff and headhunting, is this a solution to the perennial problem of holding on to your best recruiters?

Come and see some of the other things that make Aston Taylor a bit different to work for.

Recruitment round-up

Working in an industry when you deal with so many people, you’re always going to get some, er, ‘unusual’ things cropping up when dealing with phone calls, emails, CVs and the like. This is the start of an irregular column rounding up the funnier stories we hear through our working lives.

For example, there was the client who told us he’d once interviewed a candidate who’d clearly turned up drunk to the interview and, on being asked to leave, tried to start a fight! Not necessarily the best way to make a first impression.

Or there was the candidate who thought it was important to mention on his CV that he had met the Pope. Maybe he thought divine inspiration would take him once he was recruiting. However, on a much more down-to-earth level, one client asked to see one of our (female) consultants’ ‘white bits’. I guess some things never change…

Bank holiday blues

We all love a bank holiday – an extra lie-in and a four-day week never do any harm. However, we’ve just had the last one until Christmas. That’s four months of long weeks with shorter days and worsening weather to look forward to before we get another break.

Indeed, in England we only get eight public holidays a year – there’s no independence or national day like 4 July in the US or Bastille Day in France. We compare quite poorly with other countries around the world – for example, the Americans enjoy eleven ‘federal’ holidays each year.

There are movements afoot to improve things over here. Campaigns to introduce holidays on St. George’s Day and St. David’s Day are gathering momentum, and new legislation increasing the national minimum holiday allowance is due to come in soon. Until then, we’ll count the days to Christmas…

Summer fun

After a long summer of hard work, Aston Taylor’s team got to enjoy an exciting day at Surrey’s Thorpe Park. The day out was organised as a reward after the team hit all its targets for the month. With rides such as Stealth, Colossus and Slammer, everybody ended up thoroughly wet, shaken - or both!

The incentives are chosen by the team, for the team. These could include anything from Zorbing and skydiving to a simple game of bowling and a pizza. We like to do different things each time so there’s something for everyone.

There are always monthly and quarterly targets to work towards – next up is an afternoon’s golf followed by a meal out. We hope to have some pictures of the Thorpe Park experience available soon!

Counter-offer conundrum

It seems like an ideal situation: discontented with your job, look elsewhere and manage to secure an attractive position with another employer. You might be getting better pay and conditions; it might fit your career plan better, or simply be more convenient in relation to where you live. But what happens if your current boss makes you a counter offer to persuade you to stay?

In the recruitment industry, Aston Taylor have found that almost 75% of our candidates who accept a counter offer to remain with their current employer end up contacting us again within four months, usually saying that promises have not been kept and asking if the role we originally suggested is still open.

This is indeed a common phenomenon. In recruitment, even respected Recruitment coach Mark Whitby has prepared his own eight reasons for not accepting a counter offer. But the problem is present across all industry sectors, as Job Circle’s article shows here.

The main question to ask yourself seems to be: will I really be any better off staying where I am? Plus, when you look at the array of recruitment opportunities we can offer you, maybe you should consider finding a new role.

Incentivise, man!

Incentivise may not be a word (yet), but that’s certainly what one of our clients has done for us. Synapps have offered Aston Taylor consultants the chance to win a day driving sports cars on a professional circuit.

What a fantastic idea. Our team feels motivated to make sure they get hold of the very best candidates possible for Synapps, who not only get to benefit from any successful placements, but get to enjoy a day out with Aston Taylor on the track!

Obviously it’s nice to receive the financial rewards of the recruitment industry, but sometimes doing something different can be just as enticing. Are there any other exciting incentives out there? Has your company, or a client, offered something interesting?

Let us know.

Web 2.0 – a sackable offence?

Inspired by this article in The Telegraph, it seems appropriate to analyse the impact of so-called web 2.0 sites – social networking and community sites like Facebook, MySpace and, (ahem) Blogger.com.

Many companies are banning these sites to their employees on the grounds of wasting work hours or even company security, but is this the right way to look at it? Are there in fact valuable business opportunities to be had, contacts to be made – valuable networks to tap into?

While there’s no doubt that it’s possible to spend hours on the net instead of in a more productive, work-related manner, it’s also possible to make important contacts – so crucial to the recruitment industry – and even to do deals. There’s also the possibility of checking out prospective candidates for their suitability for roles.

At Aston Taylor, our Consultants are here to make money – we’re quite happy for them to be on Facebook, networking and making deals. Of course there’s a social aspect to what they do, but they’re happy in their jobs and so they’re free to do as they please.

Maybe if you’re spending time on networking sites instead of working it means you’re not happy with your job. If so, perhaps you should give us a call and we can find you a better job.

What happened to summer?

It’s the time of year where it’s supposed to be warm and sunny – we’re either supposed to be sweating it out in the office wishing we were outside with an ice cream or sunning ourselves on a beach somewhere.

Yet something’s gone wrong this year. At best, we’ve had patchy sunshine mixed with rain for the last three or so months – at worst, we’ve had torrential rain and biblical floods more akin to The tropics than Gloucestershire.

So where did the summer go? Is it all the fault of global warming? Or just a blip (after all, it’s only four years since the UK’s hottest ever day)? How is it affecting work? Well, apart from those unfortunate people who have lost their houses and places of work, opinions seem to be mixed about the weather.

Some prefer the heat as it means nice sunshine and summer weather; others prefer the rain (particularly those sitting further from the windows), as it’s easier to work in the cooler conditions. Either way, it’s a safe bet that we should enjoy what sun we do get as it’s sure to turn to autumn any minute now!

STRESSED !

The heat is up; there’s no air-con; you’re feeling lousy; you can’t find any worthwhile vacancies to work on, or another candidate just let you down - and your boss is asking you how you’re going to achieve your targets! That’s stressful! Estimates from the Health & Safety Executive indicate that work-related Stress and related disorders account for an estimated 10.5 million reported lost working days per year in Britain.

Aston Taylor, the UK’s leading Recruitment-to-Recruitment Consultancy, takes this research very seriously. ‘A stressed employee will struggle to be productive’, says Vic Chuntz, Aston Taylor’s CEO, ‘We do as much as we can to reduce the irritations that can lead to stress, for instance our Consultants do no cold calling at all, and they do no admin. However, we can’t remove all the pressures of Recruitment. We considered the above research, and as well as wanting to avoid any legal ramifications, we wanted to help our staff feel better, so they would be more effective at work’.

Some time ago Aston Taylor contacted Catherine Hedges, a trained masseuse, who visits the office every week to give all staff a 20-minute ‘seated’ massage.

She uses one of their interview rooms, so it doesn’t effect daily operations at all, and she brings all her own equipment. Catherine says: ‘Seated massage uses special techniques that focus on relieving tension and any discomfort from key stress-affected areas including neck, arms, hands, shoulders, back and scalp. You can experience the benefits of massage while remaining fully clothed and without the use of oils or creams’.

Chuntz says, ‘Maybe it’s a coincidence, but since Catherine started the treatment here, we’ve achieved record sales. We’ve reduced lateness/sickness, staff turnover is better and the general atmosphere has noticably improved.’

Catherine conducted her own poll and found Consultants commented : ‘Great feel-good factor and great as company incentive’, ‘Instant de-stress’, ‘Don’t feel sleepy after massage, just relaxed and more alert’. In addition, research into this form of treatment suggests that it helps with issues such as back & neck problems, RSI, eye strain and headaches.

Phone a friend!

Want to earn up to £500 for doing nothing? Don’t worry, it’s not a scam, and you don’t need any recruitment experience either. Give us your friend’s details and, if we successfully place them, you could earn a cash reward!

It really is as simple as that. Maybe you’ll see one of our jobs advertised and think it’s suitable for your friend (or friends), or you know someone who works in the industry who may be looking for a new role. There are only three rules:

We don’t have them on our database.
We place them into a role.
All fees are paid and no refunds are due.

That’s it. Get in touch!

Get yourself headhunted

Wanting to look for your next role but never have the time? Think you can get a better deal elsewhere but terrified your boss will see your CV on a job board? The simple solution is to let Aston Taylor handle the situation for you.

If you register your details with us, we can keep you up-to-date with suitable job opportunities to match your career requirements and preferences. We can also arrange to contact you at your convenience, to avoid the prying ears and eyes of your current employer.

Whether or not you are actively in the job market, we’ll stay in touch with you and ask that you do the same with us so we have the most current information possible on your career preferences.

All information we receive from you will be kept in the strictest confidence. Find out more information about our privacy commitment.

The long hours culture in recruitment

One of the major reasons many people fail to make it in the recruitment industry is the long and often demanding hours expected of Recruiters. Many people in the industry regularly put in 12-14 hour days in their quest for success, to the extent that there is a perception that this has become the accepted office culture.

But is this strictly necessary? Can first-class candidates always be met or spoken to during office hours? Is it possible to reach the highest levels without putting in these long hours or do you only get out what you put in? If long hours in the office are essential, what does your company do to ease the day by?

At Aston Taylor, CEO Vic Chuntz believes dedication is the key. “As with any successful person, from Tiger Woods to Richard Branson, long hours dedicated to your chosen field consistently prove to be one of the defining factors.”

Aston Taylor, however, counteract the strain on the system with a range of benefits offered to all staff. Fresh fruit is always available in the office to help ensure the team keeps up with its five-a-day pledge, and weekly massages are also available to help relieve stress. Plus, there are of course many team incentives to work towards during those long hours: from a meal out or trip to the pub to Zorbing and Skydiving.

Find out more about Aston Taylor's working culture. What does your company do?

Recruiters' views on the smoking ban

Now in full swing across the UK, the smoking ban is causing controversy in all industries. Although it’s the hospitality trade making the most noise, clearly the ban will have far reaching consequences.

We all know that Recruitment can be a very stressful job; targets to hit, clients to please, promotion to chase. For many Recruiters smoking has always been one of the ways of gaining a short respite from the ongoing pressures. The ‘fag break’ was always a chance to share some gossip or even have a moan about the boss. Aston Taylor, the UK’s premier Recruitment-to-Recruitment Consultancy, conducted a poll amongst Recruiters across the country. The poll simply asked: “do you agree with the smoking ban?”

“We found overwhelming support of the proposed bans, with over 80% welcoming a ban on smoking and 20% rejecting it”, says Vic Chuntz, CEO, Aston Taylor. Along with the results came a few extra comments. Many smokers said they need all the help they can get in quitting the habit and perhaps a total ban, although painful, will be the best option. Many non-smoking Recruiters said they were fed-up having to work while their colleagues had extra breaks and fed-up with the mess created outside their offices. However, one (anonymous) Recruiter commented that his Team Leader will have nothing to do now smoking has been banned completely.

Getting started in Recruitment - Part II

So you want to start a career in Recruitment? Think you can cut it with some of the most professional consultancies out there? This is the second part of a two-part guide aimed at those who want to get into Recruitment but need to know more.

Life as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant

(1) Initial base salaries are commonly £14k-£18K

(2) Typical commission schemes average 5-10% of the revenues you generate, although some offer up to 30%. First year on-target earnings (OTE) can be £18k-£30k, although in the right sector in a buoyant economy newcomers have earned £100k+

(3) You’ll be measured mainly by your success - i.e. how much revenue you generate and/or the number of placements you make.

(4) Other measurements, often referred to as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) may include: (a) number of outbound calls (b) time spent on the telephone (c) number of candidates interviewed or ‘worked on’ (d) number of clients visited (e) number of new clients you ‘win’ (f) the quality of your relationships with clients & candidates, etc

Reasons People Fail

(1) Can’t deal with the Rejection - Clients & Candidates can & do say ‘no’ - often

(2) Lack of sheer effort - long hours are the norm - e.g. 10-12 hour days - it’s the nature of the business, speaking to people evenings and occasionally weekends

(3) Lack of tangible goals

(4) Relying on luck

(5) Lack of intelligence, persuasiveness, eloquence, determination, lacking initiative

(6) Unable to deal with repetitive tasks, lack of thoroughness, lack attention to detail

(7) Don’t listen proactively and lack ability to rapidly assimilate information and use it to advantage

(8) Lack of proper induction training and/or lack of commitment to learn - like any worthwhile profession it takes time to learn and years to perfect

Still interested? Apply now

Getting started in Recruitment

So you want to start a career in Recruitment? Think you can cut it with some of the most professional consultancies out there? This is the first part of a two-part guide aimed at those who want to get into Recruitment but need to know more.

The Recruitment Industry generates over £24 billion and 6% of UK GDP. There are over 20,000 companies operating in absolutely every area of business, commerce & the public sector. There are national and regional high street agencies, placing everyone from secretaries to managers, and there are numerous specialist firms, focusing on either IT, Finance, Healthcare, Construction, etc in fact, every niche from tree surgeons to plastic surgeons!

Trainee Recruitment Consultant - What the job involves

Cold Calling (business development) - phoning client companies to ascertain if they have any vacancies. In a specialist agency you’ll try to contact the relevant Line or Department Managers, in a generalist agency, you may speak to Human Resources. Either way, it’s not that easy to actually get through to the right people. They get these calls all the time; they may have a preferred supplier list and not deal with anyone else; they may not be available; they may not have any vacancies at all; you may not even know the actual name of the contact. Of course there are techniques & tactics to help, but initially persistence and a very thick skin are the best assets.

In a sector with fewer vacancies than applicants (client driven), you may spend half your time looking for new business. This may also involve visiting & presenting to clients as well as other marketing initiatives. Until you are experienced, expect a great deal of rejection.

Negotiating - agreeing fees & rates. As part of business development you’ll probably have to negotiate fees & terms. This can be one of the more confrontational areas to deal with. With some of the large high-street agencies you may be restricted or not allowed to negotiate terms. If you operate in Temp/Contract markets you may also negotiate pay rates.

Candidate Interviewing & Resourcing - contacting candidates for your vacancies. In a high-street agency, you’ll probably interview 4-5 people a day. In a specialist agency, many interviews are conducted over the phone. You’ll contact candidates from a number of sources: internal databases and the web are the most common. You’ll be using your judgment to determine the candidates’ abilities & experience.

Matching & Marketing - matching the vacancy to the candidate and vice-versa. In a client-driven market, you’ll have plenty of potential applicants, so you’ll need to be very precise. In a candidate ‘short’ sector, the opposite applies and, with persuasion, you can make a ‘square peg fit a round hole’.

The next steps will involve arranging client/candidate interviews, dealing with offers & candidate rejections and arranging start dates. Depending on the sector you can also expect a degree of administration.

As should be obvious, the majority of your time will be spent on ‘Sales’ activities. Recruitment is about assimilating information and using it to your advantage. The rewards can be exceptional and it can be a career for life. But Recruitment definitely does not suit everyone; in fact 70% of Trainees fail within their first six months.

Still interested? Apply now or read part two - coming soon!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Aston Taylor blog!

Here you will find news, views, tips and the lighter side of recruitment. Whether you're new to the industry and want advice on how to be a success, or an experienced Recruiter looking for light relief from your daily slog, you'll find it here.

You'll be able to comment (constructively) and share your thoughts with the world as we will attempt to cover all aspects of the recruitment industry while both informing and entertaining.

So tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell your boss! (as long as they know you're only reading this during a scheduled break!)