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.
Monday 30 July 2007
Tuesday 24 July 2007
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?
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?
Monday 23 July 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday 18 July 2007
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
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
Tuesday 17 July 2007
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!
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!)
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!)
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