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10 Secrets to Successful Interview Preparation

No matter how many you may have been to, interviews are always a daunting prospect. Thorough interview preparation can help to ease your stress and provide you with the best possible chance of convincing the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job. Remember, your CV only gets you to the interview; it's the interview that gets you the job!

As an experienced recruitment consultancy, here are our 10 tips for successful interview preparation:

1. Do Your Research

A big part of your interview preparation should include researching the company; its mission, values, products/services and accomplishments. It is also beneficial to look wider and be aware of the latest developments in the industry and the company's competitors. An employer will always find it impressive if you have researched their company and can discuss what specific change and benefits you can bring to them.

2. Anticipate Questions, but Don't Rehearse Answers

“Why did you apply for the role?”, “Why should I hire you?” and “How can you use your previous experience for the role?” are some of the most typical interview questions  As part of your preparation, also think about behavioural questions that are intended to ascertain how you will behave in certain situations: “What would you do in the following scenario..?“ or “Give us an example of how you would handle a certain situation?”.  It’s tricky to prepare for such questions but it’s worth thinking about particular situations that you have handled well and your past achievements. Read the job description very carefully to understand what kind of personality they are looking for.

Although it is important to anticipate questions and think about possible answers in advance, try not to rehearse them too much. When you're nervous, you might fall into the trap of providing prepared answers without actually answering the question. Remain flexible and adapt your answers.

3. Be Skill Specific

Candidates often read through their entire CV during their interview, forgetting that the interview presents an opportunity to draw on their most relevant experience and expand on it for the interviewer. You should know your CV inside out for referral purposes - don't just read it. Always have examples ready to support every statement you make.

4. Know Your Audience

Get to know your interviewers before the interview: their role within the company, their previous experience, particular interests and aspirations. Don’t forget that an interview is a two-way interaction. If you understand the person/people interviewing you, it should help you to build a rapport with them and aid them in picturing you as part of the team. Social media is your best friend in this instance; use LinkedIn to research your potential new employers.

5. Deep Clean Your Social Media

Speaking of social media, don't forget that nowadays employers are likely to research their job applicants’ personality through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. As part of your interview preparation review and modify the information that is public on your social media; check out our guide on making sure your Facebook profile doesn't cost you your job.

6. Look the Part

They're not the be all and end all, but first impressions count. You have been invited to the interview, so clearly you have the right skills and experience, but are you a great cultural fit? 

If you have done step one of your preparation properly, or have spoken to your recruitment consultant, you should have a good idea of the company culture and the appropriate dress code. If you are unsure, it is better to be slightly over-dressed than under-dressed  And, of course, always make good eye contact, give a firm hand shake and smile.

7. Interview the Interviewer

How many of us have written “emergency” questions before an interview (when we're not really interested in the answers) simply to allow us to say something when an interviewer asks "have you got any questions?". Although it’s essential to think of questions in advance, they should really relate to your discussion during the interview.

Remember that your interview also allows you to determine if this is the right opportunity for you. Don’t ask questions about the salary and benefits first. Of course, these are important, but you should decide if the role is right for you first.

8. Eliminate Unnecessary Stress

Remove unnecessary stress by preparing your travel arrangements beforehand. Plan your route and allow extra time for any unexpected delays. Be sure to get everything you need to take with you ready the night before so that you don't arrive late.

9. Use Your Recruitment Consultant

If you are using one, your recruitment consultant will be keen for you to be successful and will assist your interview preparation greatly. A good recruitment consultancy will have an established relationship with the company you are going to be interviewed by and will be able to give you a brief note on what they are looking for.

10. Get Confident!

Putting some time and effort into your interview preparation will give you the best possible chance of getting the job you want. Shake off some of those nerves and believe that you have what they're looking for!

Want more tips and advice?


Download the full Sanderson guide to perfecting job interviews

Learn how to write a successful CV

6 Tips on Using Mobile Technology to Attract Top Talent

by Steve Phillips, Client Solutions Director

Mobile recruiting has become one of the most popular subjects in the world of talent acquisition. The explosion of mobile technology has created a huge new audience of potential job-seekers presenting new challenges for recruiters and HR professionals to develop innovative ways of engaging with their targets.   

Currently,70% of all job seekers search for jobs via mobile devices. In addition, 20 % search for information about careers through these devices. The analysis of our own website traffic indicates that our mobile traffic has nearly doubled in the last three months with a growing number of applicants using our Recruitment App to apply for jobs. Furthermore, the LinkedIn infographic highlighting top global recruitment trends this year shows that 87% of businesses believe that they have not adequately invested in making their recruiting process mobile friendly.

  

It is clear that if you are not incorporating your mobile capabilities into your sourcing strategy, you are missing the trick! So what’s next?

Here are some tips from an IT recruitment business on how to make the mobile technology help you attract the best available talent:

Align your mobile recruitment strategy to corporate goals

According to the recent research by Aberdeen Group, despite the focus on mobile initiatives, talent acquisition functions still operate independently, and their strategies don’t support the overall business objectives. “One-size-fits-all” model won’t work, you should determine which approach will be best for your organisation.

Mobile-optimise your careers site

Increase your talent pool by making it easy for candidates applying for jobs through their smart phones, iPads and tablets. Ensure your mobile-optimised careers site can be viewed through a variety of mobile devices.

Make it as user-friendly as possible

Mobile job seekers are likely to have limited time and/or possible restricted bandwidth. A tiny screen to view content doesn’t help either! Make it as user-friendly as possible by only including the most essential information (e.g. big, clear font, prominent phone numbers) and avoid excessive imagery.

Enable referrals on-the-go

Referrals are a very powerful source of candidate attraction. Make it easy for your employees to use it. Equally give your candidates the ability to “share” your job listings through social networks.

Make your social sites mobile friendly

Increasingly job-seekers use networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook in their career search. Besides, 38% of organisations surveyed in Aberdeen’s talent acquisition research believe that LinkedIn will replace the resume over the next few years. 60% of Facebook usage is via mobile devices. How easy is it for your potential targets to view and apply for a vacancy you posted on your social networking sites through their smartphones?

Focus on candidate experience

First impressions count! Mobile recruitment strategies play a vital role in improving employer branding. If the initial candidate experience is poor – you are in danger of losing strong applicants. This is your opportunity to promote your organisation showcasing its strengths. Simple steps such as clearly explaining what happens after the application is completed, providing the name and direct line of the recruiter and  links to useful resources such as blogs & guides to assist the candidate make a huge difference.

What is your experience of managing mobile technology to attract talent?

 

Share your views in our comment box below. Get in touch if you would like to discuss how you could best develop a results-driven mobile recruiting strategy to expand your talent pool and increase brand awareness of your organisation.

Trends in Business Change Recruitment Survey

Are you involved in sourcing talent for "Business Change and Transformation" projects?

 

Then we would like to hear your views!

 

Sanderson, as Business Change Recruitment experts, are conducting a survey “Trends in Business Change & Transformation Recruitment” across a variety of industry sectors, with a large number of HR and Business Change professionals taking part. It should only take a few minutes to complete.

 

Complete the survey here. 

 

We would be happy to share the results of the survey with you. Please email: info@sandersonplc.com to register your interest.

 

Thank you in advance for your contribution!

 

Cowboys and Consumers - Who rules the Finance Industry?

RSG Debates is a series of round table events held throughout the year, which bring together industry leaders who are relevant to a central topic of discussion. As Head of Sanderson's Financial Recruitment division, Tim Donaghy joined some of the UK's leading CFOs to discuss: Can Business Self Regulate? To find out more about future RSG Debate events and how you can participate, please click here.

Is the Financial Services Industry run by cowboys making rash decisions with the hard earned cash of the unsuspecting public, or is this an industry that is regulated and genuinely consumer/customer focused? 

The rules and conduct of people in responsible positions within The Financial Services Industry are well documented in the FCA Handbook and the theme of the handbook is indeed consumer and customer focused. I would recommend a quick read as it is very simply written and specific in its purpose. 

A quick look on the FCA website shows that there are indeed implications to breaking the codes of conduct. On the home page the following headlines jump out at you:

“FCA fines Guaranty Trust Bank (UK) Ltd £525,000 for failures in its anti-money laundering controls”

“FCA fines compliance officer and broker whose actions enabled market abuse to be committed in October 2010“

So, if the rules are plain and simple and implications of breaking the rules are obvious, why are there still breaches and why is consumer confidence so low? 

Is the punishment severe enough? Or does the punishment fit the crime (Fred Goodwin et al)?

How many people were imprisoned on the back of the meltdown in 2008, or at any stage for that matter?

When does incompetence become negligence?

Maybe the answer lies in the level of punishment; maybe it lies in the expectation on returns demanded by an often ill informed public, or maybe it lies with the well publicised bonus culture of the industry. What is clear and certainly stressed at the event is that the challenges are complex, no one group is to blame for recent issues and that plenty of questions remain unanswered.

How to Write a Successful CV

No matter how many jobs you may have applied for in the past, knowing how to write a successful CV remains one of the most daunting tasks for any job seeker. It may have been years, if not decades, since you last had to write a CV and you might not know where to start, but don't worry; as a professional recruitment company, we have seen our share of the good, the bad and the downright bizarre in terms of CV applications, so we have put together this easy to follow guide on how to write a successful CV from layout to content.

Your CV Layout

• Name and Contact Details
• Personal Statement
• Employment History
• Education
• Additional Information
• References

Name and Contact Details

Present your CV with your first and last name clearly in bold at the top of the page. Underline this with your current contact details including your home address, telephone number and email address. You can also include any websites or blogs that you own if they are relevant. Thinking about adding a photograph? We'd advise against it - let your content do the talking.

Top Tip Many job seekers believe that they have to include their date of birth, nationality and marital status on their CV. Updated discrimination laws now mean you do not have to include this information, so stick to the basics.

10 Tips for Implementing Successful Change Management Projects

Organisational Change is a must for many businesses operating in today’s competitive environment and, according to a recently published study by DDI: Global Leadership Forecast 2011, driving and managing change will remain a top priority for business leaders. However, many organizations get it wrong; they hope that by adjusting certain processes and structures that change will happen automatically and people will follow.

As Business Change recruitment experts, we understand that it is the employees’ response and willingness to change that will ultimately determine the success of any Business Transformation Project. With Change being fundamental to business success, here are a few tips from change management recruitment experts for implementing it effectively:

1. Don't rush. Take your time to carefully determine what you need to change. Devise a step-by-step strategy that considers both short and long term goals.
2. Communicate clearly and transparently throughout the entire process. You don't want your employees to hear rumours from a mis-informed third party, which could lead to inaccurate speculation.
3. Be inclusive. What might be obvious to the Leadership team is not necessarily obvious to the rest of the staff. Treat everyone as an individual and discuss how the change will impact them directly.
4. Be prepared for resistance. As creatures of habit, people will cling to what they are used to if they are given the chance. Be consistent and address all concerns raised.
5. Reward and motivate. Ensure you share and celebrate any successes with all of your team and reward even small achievements. This will help to uphold enthusiasm and illustrate the benefits of the change.
6. Select "Change Champions" who will lead smaller teams by example. A few well-selected individuals will boost morale, particularly amongst those staff who will be most affected by the change.
7. Don't give empty promises. Organisations' failure to deliver often results in lost trust and can lead to the employees' initial enthusiasm fading away. If something does not go quite to plan, be honest and explain why.
8. Be patient. People need time to adapt their behaviour to structural and process changes. Introducing gradual, high quality training can be a real investment. 
9. Monitor progress. Keep track of the change project and constantly seek feedback. Don't be afraid to adjust your plan if you believe it is the right way forward.
10. Consult with Business Change recruitment experts. If you use external Business Change consultants, make sure they understand your organisation, its values and its aspiration. They should change and adapt their strategy to suit your organisational needs - never let them take a one-size-fits-all approach.

Do you agree with our tips? What is your experience of change management projects? Share your views in our comment box below and we will get back to you.

What's next?

>> Download our free guide to effective talent management 
>> Follow the Sanderson Facebook page for live job market updates

The Future of the Jobs Market: What's in it for you?

Filtering through the latest REC Report on Jobs and CIPD's Labour Market Outlook, it can be difficult to fathom what action, if any, you should take based on their findings. Overall, the conclusions drawn have been positive for both employers and job seekers, but how should you respond to the changing jobs market? 

A key finding from REC's July Report on Jobs is the fact that the number of available vacancies has reached the highest figure in six years. This surge in availability largely stems from the increasing confidence of employers toward the jobs market. As they start to invest once again in sourcing talent for their companies, so the availability of permanent and contract placements rises. Unlike employers, employees and potential candidates remain ambivalent toward the positive turn the jobs market appears to be taking. Unsure of whether it will last into the long term, employees are sitting tight in their current roles, which has lead to a gap between the high demand for skilled workers and the availability of suitable candidates. 

For Job Seekers...

In order to take advantage of the opportunities that are emerging, as a job seeker you should focus on continually developing your skills in order to stay ahead of the competition. In particular, specialist recruitment companies cited that there were major skills shortages in IT (.Net, Java, Business Analysts) and Finance (Accountants, Compliance, pay roll). 

For Employers...

From an employer standpoint, you should not focus too much on sourcing new talent; retaining the best talent currently within your company should remain a top priority. It is inevitable that your employees will become more open to offers from other companies as confidence in the jobs market grows. Therefore, the development and implementation of a strong talent management strategy should be of key importance to your resourcing team over the coming months. 

>> Download our free guide to Effective Talent Management

>> Read 'How to Use Your LinkedIn Profile to Get a New Job'

Are Job Boards a Cost Effective Method of Recruitment?

I would be very interested in hearing people’s thoughts on how useful advertising is as a recruitment tool for clients, candidates and recruitments agents. As an industry, are we getting true value for our money?

From a recruiter’s point of view, my mindset has changed. Five years ago I would have ensured that any new consultant in my team had a sound knowledge and understanding of various job boards for advertising new vacancies and attracting new candidates. My initial belief was that this was an integral part of becoming a successful resourcer.  My view on this has now completely changed.

Is Your Facebook Profile Stopping You From Getting a Job?

There are 1.2 billion people on Facebook, 550 million on Twitter and 225 million on LinkedIn; some of them are yourselves, some of them are your employers and some, perhaps most importantly, are your future employers. 

A survey conducted by Reppler found that 91% of recruiters and employers now use social media to screen applicants before they ask them to interview; 69% of those admit that they have chosen not to employ someone based on what they've found. With this in mind, it is now more important than ever before to project a professional persona online, particularly when you're looking for a new job.

Source: Reppler

1. Lockdown Your Facebook Profile

When an employer or recruiter searches for you on Facebook, unless you have accepted them as a Friend, they should only be able to see your name and your smiling profile photo. While all the options are available on Facebook to prevent employers you don't know from seeing your full profile, it can be a bit of a challenge trying to find them - until now.

Click to enlarge

Click on the cog icon in the top right hand corner and select 'Privacy Settings'. The first and third options you will see are the most important to you. They let you choose who can see anything you will post in the future and everything you have posted in the past. Make sure you enable Friends only for the first option and 'Limit Past Posts' for the third.

How to Use Your LinkedIn Profile to Get a New Job

We'll assume that you are already a member of LinkedIn because your ideal employer most definitely is and you want them to find you when they are looking to fill a new role. But how do you ensure they do that? Follow these tips on how to use your LinkedIn profile to get a new job and you'll stand out to your new employer and their recruiters for all the right reasons.

1. Your photo

This is the first thing that will catch the eye of a prospective employer, so make sure it’s for the right reasons. Employers don’t want to see how adorable your children are, what a great night out you had with your friends, or how fantastic you look in that filtered selfie. They want to see someone they can envision working for their company, so make sure your photo looks professional, friendly and only features you in it.

2.  Your job title

Sounds straight forward enough, right? Wrong. If you only state your job title, an employer won't be able to pick you out from the hundreds of others who have the exact same occupation. By going that little bit further and adding a few words about your speciality in the field, or your industry passion, you’ll stand out from your competition.

For example, you might be an SEO Manager, but what does your role offer a company? For example, why not add – ‘Putting your company in the #1 spot’ after the title? Let a company know what you can do for them and you’ll instantly be a more attractive find.

*Be confident* - If you are in a position where you can be open about looking for a new job, say so in your job title. State what you are looking for in your job title and recruiters will be able to spot you from a mile off!

Debate: Is the Consumer a Regulator of Business Behaviour?

June 2013 saw the launch of RSG Debates, a series of round table dinners held throughout the year, which invite thought leaders to join together to discuss the most topical issues concerning one appointed theme. In June, the spotlight was focussed on the financial services sector and the question of whether business can self regulate. Held at Benares restaurant in Mayfair, London, the dinner was hosted by Nick Hall, Partner at KPMG, and was attended by finance directors and CFO’s from FTSE 100 companies.

The concept of regulation vs. self regulation is vast and it was to be expected that we would gather a varied range of arguments and opinions on the topic, the most interesting (and perhaps most controversial) of which I am going to share with you over the course of my next few blog posts. Don't forget, if you are interested in the financial sector, you can subscribe to the Sanderson Financial posts. To begin this series we will focus on: 

What role does the consumer have to play in bringing about positive change to errant business behaviour? 

Starbucks were used as a relevant example during this particular discussion as they paid £5m in UK corporation tax this year – something they have not done since 2009.

Get to Know Sanderson: Our Regional Director

If you're thinking about selecting Sanderson as your recruitment partner (a great idea, we must say), you'll probably want to know a little bit more about the team. Our new series of Get to Know Sanderson blogs will give you an insight into the great people we employ, how they've achieved their experience and why they're the best people you can choose to help you resolve your resourcing challenges.

Meet Harvey Woods, Regional Director at Sanderson

Where you'll find him:
Heading up the Sanderson Manchester team on King Street

Harvey, give us your CV and experience in a nutshell: 

• I graduated from the University of Salford in '97 with a BSc in Business & Management
• I applied to work as a Resourcer at Computer People
• Building up experience from the bottom, I starting out sourcing candidates for a team of Consultants in the pre-internet era
• 15 years later I was a member of the Board and running just over half of Computer People
• Set my mind on a new challenge in the "corporate" environment and was approached by CBSButler for the role of Sales Director 

What made you want to work at Sanderson:

When you do your due diligence on Sanderson, you quickly realise the sheer scale and scope of what you can achieve there. Sanderson, to me, represents the best foot forward of the staffing industry, a grown up forward thinking environment full of high tenured professional people who are passionate about their company and brand, and their role within it. It’s a company you instantly want to align yourself with for the rest of your career, and I don’t think I can say anything that resonates stronger than that.

How to Make Bankers Accountable for their Actions

 Sanderson's Head of Finance, Tim Donaghy, comments on the Parliamentary Commission of Banking Standards' latest report and whether it will make bankers liable for their negligence.

The cross-party Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards' fifth reports proposes that bankers are held accountable for their actions in the future, and threatens imprisonment for those guilty of 'reckless misconduct'. The report highlights that, despite numerous scandals being illuminated in recent years, senior level bankers have not been punished for turning a blind eye on their responsibilities.

The report advocates that senior bankers should be assigned clear personal responsibilities, with the legal onus on them to show they have done all that is reasonably required; recklessly disregarding their responsibilities should be a made a criminal offence; senior bankers should adhere to a new set of banking standards set by regulators; bonus pay should be deferred for up to 10 years and cancelled if a banker acts irresponsibly and banks should be legally required to put financial safety ahead of shareholder interest. 

These measures are without doubt a step in the right direction, however, it puzzles me as to why five reports on this subject have been made already, yet this is the first time a notion is being mooted! I recently attended an RSG Debates event based around the question of whether businesses can self-regulate. An interesting point was made during the course of the evening; a blue collar worker can be imprisoned for stealing £100 out of the petty cash tin, yet a CEO receives a £1m a year pension after overseeing the complete demise of a bank (RBS and Goodwin). The magnitude of the injustice of this double standard is incomprehensible and, as the report points out, for too long bankers have fallen back on the claim that everyone was party to a decision, therefore, no individual could be held accountable. 

It is about time that the high earning executives who we entrust with our money should be made liable if they are found to be negligent. Perhaps the promise of imprisonment, rather than bonus schemes, will incentivise them to be more responsible in the future?

How to Protect Yourself During Pre-Termination Negotiations

Our guest blogger this month, Katherine Sadler-Smith, Training & Know-How Lawyer at Osborne Clarke, explains what the new legislation surrounding confidential termination negotiations means, and how you can ensure that your pre-termination discussions are protected.

Following a consultation exercise in Autumn 2012, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) introduced legislation which, from this Summer, will enable employers and employees to engage in confidential settlement negotiations before termination of employment.  As a consequence, both parties should be able to negotiate freely without fear that the anything discussed (such as the value of offers made but declined) may be raised in any subsequent 'ordinary' unfair dismissal claim at an employment tribunal.  Previously, this type of legal privilege only extended to “without prejudice” discussions taking place after a dispute had already arisen.

Sounds good, but what's the catch?

APSCO announces growing need for Finance professionals

Tim Donaghy, Head of Accountancy and Finance at Sanderson, discusses the latest positive news for the Financial Recruitment sector.


Finally, green shoots of news from APSCO! After a year of hearing from FDs and CFOs that they are confident that there is a growing need for more qualified finance professionals, analysts are finally seeing this as a reality. But where is this growing need coming from? Although 2% doesn't sound like a huge increase, this is significant for the finance recruitment sector and is a good indicator of general business confidence. When the finance (and other) recruitment market is in full swing, requirements are created due to three major drivers:

•  Natural attrition and churn 
•  Growth 
•  Business change or projects 

How should we react to the latest Labour Market Statistics?

Nick Walrond, Director at Sanderson Recruitment, shares his views on how we should respond to the latest Labour Market Statistics Report (May 2013). 

The Labour Market Statistics released yesterday presented us with an account of falling employment rates (down 0.2% from Oct-Dec 2012) and an increasing population of unemployed individuals aged between 16-64 (15,000 more since the final quarter of last year). Yet we have to remind ourselves that such unemployment data is a lagging indicator of the current health of our economy. Expectedly, we saw a sharp rise in unemployment following the start of the recession in 2008, but since then the figures have ebbed and flowed only modestly – reflecting the challenging conditions we have seen over the last 4 years.

Cotswold Plod - Charity Walk - Action for Medical Research for Children

How hard can a charity walk be? It’s just one foot in front of the other, right? Well, at midnight on Friday 7th June 2013, the team will be tackling a 40 mile walk across the Cotswold Way, and it’s been described by the organisers as “not for the faint hearted or ill prepared”... this may not be as easy as we’d thought for us, office based softies!

Shareconomy - What the buzzword of 2013 means for business

Khalid Razouki, Recruitment Consultant at Sanderson, defines the latest buzzword 'shareconomy' and what relevance it holds for recruiters in 2013.


‘Cloud Technology’. ‘Managing Trust’. You’re no doubt familiar with the buzz words of the past two years, but what about ‘shareconomy’, the term of the moment used to describe the societal shift from owning to sharing? If you’re not using it yet, you will be soon according to Frank Pörschmann, CEO of CeBit, as ‘shareconomy’ is evident in several dimensions: "First, shareconomy is profoundly influencing enterprise processes, because social media tools will become more and more popular. Second, the Internet is the place for teamwork, both in and outside the company. Partners, consultants, suppliers and customers will be more closely integrated as part of a networked process. The borders separating companies and organizations will become ever more transparent. Therefore, employees and managers must rethink and be prepared to share know-how, contacts and assets."

Margaret Thatcher - Her Conservatism and its Impact on the Flexible Labour Market

The recent passing of Margaret Thatcher has prompted much debate, and reignited old rivalries from when she was in power. Her political philosophy and economic policies emphasised deregulation, Flexible Labour Markets, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power and influence of Trade Unions. The successes, trials and tribulations of her Government are very real to see and still impact substantially on our way of life, none more so than the Flexible Labour Market.

Regulatory Framework for Employment Agencies and Recruitment Businesses

A rather lengthy title for a rather lengthy and convoluted piece of legislation. RSG (Sanderson is an RSG company) have taken part in Government’s recent consultation on this, and for those not in the know, there is specific legislation that governs the recruitment industry. It sets out a framework not only for how the industry engages with the client (or ‘hirer’), but also with the temporary worker / contractor and those seeking permanent employment.

March Jobs Report: Skills Shortages and the Implications for Recruiters

Mike Beesley, CEO at Resource Solutions Group (RSG), comments on the March Report on Jobs and the implications of its findings for recruiters. 

The latest Report on Jobs by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has shown that the IT and Computing sector has seen the most demand for permanent staff for the second month running, despite many other sectors finding that demand has slumped. While this is positive news for the sector, the report also worryingly highlights that recruiters are finding few candidates who hold high level skills such as Java, .Net, online marketing, business intelligence and SEO, which are required for top roles.

Sanderson in Edinburgh: The Story so Far

Andrew Morton, Associate Director at Sanderson Recruitment, provides an update on our progress since landing in Edinburgh. 

It’s been nearly 9 months since we opened the doors to our Edinburgh office on Hanover Street and, it has to be said, we under-estimated the response we would receive from customers and candidates in this local market.

For those of you that have not heard our story (and there will be many of you in Scotland that haven’t) then I would encourage you to get in touch.  To give you a flavour though, Sanderson are the largest independent IT & Business Change recruiter in the UK (the 5^th largest overall). We hold a trading history of 35 years, during which time we've worked hard to maintain our position as the top supplier for the largest IT and Change programmes in the UK; it’s a strong blend of independent agility and experience efficiency that makes us unique.

Having seen many peaks and troughs during my 15 years within the IT and Business Change recruitment industry, there’s no doubt that the current market is challenging and will continue in this vein for a good few years yet.  That said, in the short time we've been operating in Edinburgh we have successfully grown our business levels within our existing customer base and indeed started to engage and transact on a large number with some of the most important change programmes occurring in Scotland over the next few years.

We've seen a real appetite within the business community to work with new, fresh suppliers.  They’re keen to tap into our knowledge and resource pools and equally keen to leverage our experience in this field.

So what does the next 9 months hold in store for Sanderson recruitment in Edinburgh? 

• We’ll capitalise on our successful programme and business wins and continually network within the thriving change community in Scotland. 
• We’ll continue to add to our internal team and establish ourselves further within the Scottish IT & Business Change community.

To sign off my first blog, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the clients that have supported us in our early stages in Scotland and put their faith in allowing us to demonstrate our capabilities. Your partnerships are sincerely valued.

Find me on LinkedIn.

Budget 2013: The Future of Employment for Young People

It came as a surprise during the Budget for 2013 to hear that, despite being caught in the worst recession the UK has seen, employment has seen an increase of  more than 590,000 positions and is continuing on a steady rise compared to last year – a result that even leading economists are struggling to explain.

Despite this triumph, our next generation of workers, currently aged between 16-24, worryingly comprise the largest percentage of those who remain unemployed. Furthermore, the number of young people who are unemployed, in contrast to the rest of the population, is mounting more rapidly than any other sector of the public. In our last post we discussed the possible social consequences of long term unemployment in this age bracket and the urgent need for schools to provide pupils with an education that will equip them with the skills required to succeed in the workplace. However, this situation is sure to have a ripple effect on the wider employment circle – when we finally come out the other side of the current downturn, will we be facing fundamental skills shortages?

Food for Thought Leadership

How do you entice some of the UK’s leading CFOs into a room to discuss regulation? Tell them it is being held  at Michelin Star chef Atul Kochhar’s restaurant, Benares,  and that the food and wine is free!

Seriously though, regulation in today’s business world is anything but a dry subject. In the Coalition Agreement published in 2010, the TorieLibDems said that they would cut red tape for businesses or individuals and not rely on rules and regulations by themselves to ‘get things done’. Exciting times for the money makers and entrepreneurs of these sunny isles I hear you say? May be not... is there less regulation now than five years ago?

Taxing Times

Questions on what is an appropriate level of taxation never go away. However, in the current economic climate the need to cut income taxes for lower income workers to put a little more money in the pockets of working families is juxtaposed with demand to tax the wealthy more heavily whether through income or so called wealth taxes on property.

Jobs and Growth?

We noted yesterday that the British Chambers of Commerce expect the UK to grow by 0.6 per cent this year. I wonder how many of our customers, or indeed our own, boards of directors would be happy with this level of growth for 2013.

Welcome to our new website!

I'd like to formally welcome you to the new Sanderson blog, part of a major investment into our brand and web identity to ensure our digital character reflects our position as a business.

Having been in operation since 1975, and as one of the most financially strong and longest-established IT recruitment businesses in the UK today, the temptation exists to sit back, relax and postpone investment indefinitely....

The positive customer experience….and the power of a simple thank you

We recently engaged a new customer. Actually, I think, that they engaged us rather than the other way round. In fact, the customer overheard a conversation we were having over lunch and felt an amount of empathy with the approach we take to hiring change professionals. In essence, we were pointing out that not many agencies understand the change space, and therefore, source from job boards and databases but cannot differentiate between IT Project Managers and Business Analysts and genuine change professionals. Our approach looks at the market in a different way, engaging in the communities that these people operate in, taking the time to understand the
nuances of change programmes, and seeking recommendations and referrals to get to the right professionals.

DV Clearance – Opening a New World of Contract Opportunities

For many experienced professional contractors, the opportunity to diversify their client base to include secure Government organisations including the Ministry of Defence, Central Government, Defence Estates and the Armed Forces  has been limited due to the barrier of needing to hold High Level DV Clearance. With new clearance taking around 6-9 months to achieve, recruiting managers have looked to identify individuals within the community, available at shorter notice subject to clearance reviews. But are things beginning to change...

Are we barking up the wrong tree by rewarding bad behaviours?

At home we are in the process of training a new puppy. She is a wonderful dog with a great character but, as anyone who has been through this process will know, she currently exhibits some bad behaviours. Intensive training is the only answer. The overriding principle with training this, and any other dog, is to reward them when the outcome matches the requirement. By doing this we can condition a dog’s behaviour to ensure that, in most cases, they respond to our basic commands.

Compliance – Why we shouldn’t just pay lip service

In recent years regulation, red tape and a general tightening of the manner in which recruitment businesses work has led to the need for much tighter control over such things as identity checking, right to work in the UK, proof of residence, referencing, credit checking, criminal record vetting etc etc etc…