Recruiter - February 2018

01_recruiter Feb.indd 1

February 2018

INCORPORATING Recruitment Matters

The UK’s fastest-growing recruitment companies

In sid e!

Gu i Te de t ch o no Re lo cru gy it 20 me 18 nt

www.recruiter.co.uk

Business intelligence for recruitment and resourcing professionals

10/01/2018 11:03

Employee Happiness & Engagement is more than just a good salary

#EnhancedEmployment

Multiply smiles at your workplace with unique employee engagement tools.

We provide consultancy expertise to enhance employee experience and increase productivity for your business.

Visit our stand F19 at the RAE London Olympia 31st Jan - 1st Feb 2018 &DOO XV QRZ WR ÀQG RXW PRUH DW

www.centralus.co.uk

REC.02.18.002.indd 2

09/01/2018 17:07

52

C R ONT ENT S

19

A

NEWS

05 2O18 M&A activity held back by uncertainty M&As involving recruitment agencies will increase this year but gradually 06 On winning The Apprentice Two former recruitment winners reveal their secrets 06 Cyber talent attraction Advice for the public sector to expand entry-level hiring

D

07 Start-up of the Month: Denholm Associates reveals its employer brand consultancy Inside Out 08 This was the month that was...

10 Contracts & Deals

B

TRENDS

12 Insight Using behavioural design for organisational inclusion

15

Tech & Tools We give you an early glimpse into Google Hire

C 16 17

FEATURES

19 THE BIG STORY Recruiter’s FAST 5O 2O18 The fastest-growing privately-owned UK recruitment firms, plus leading firm, Day Webster

31 Guide to Recruitment Technology 2O18

24

The biggest technologyrelated trends and a ‘go to’ guide of the firms to support your software needs

07 Farewell to high margins Leading FAST 5O recruiter Day Webster’s founders on the shakeout of healthcare agencies

G ORATIN INCORP ment Recruit

Matters

E COMMUNITY 45 Social Network 46 The Workplace: Guy Hayward 47 Community Careers: Andrew Mountney 48 Business Advice: Alex Arnot 52 My brilliant recruitment career: Lucy Edgar, iMultiply 54 Recruitment Advertising 56 Movers & Shakers 57 Recruiter Contacts 58 The Last Word: Gregory Allen, Lloyd’s Register

31

58

INTERACTION Viewpoint Peter Searle, CEO, Airswift Soundbites

32 I M AG E S | I STO C K / P ETER SEAR LE

p03_recruiter_contents.indd 3

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 3

11/01/2018 16:16

REC.02.18.004.indd 4

09/01/2018 17:08

N E WS

UPDATE

2018 M&A activity held back by uncertainty

WE LCO M E

LEADER

S

peeding into the New Year and lifting

BY GRAHAM SIMONS

the late winter dreariness into blazing overdrive are our illustrious and pacey Recruiter FAST 50 companies, so identified by our research partners Clearwater

International. Congratulations to this high-velocity bunch, and keep your energy up! Read all about this year’s fast-moving pack and the trends shaping the FAST 50’s success from p19 onwards.

The loss of GLAA CEO Paul Broadbent over the festive season came as a real shock,

“How did your business or your in-house recruitment operation exceed the norm and excel last year?”

and what a tragedy this is, in so many ways. He may not have known the value he brought to the fight against human exploitation and to furthering an end to modern slavery. But he will be remembered for his decisive approach

and the GLAA’s successes during his tenure in combating the grimy forces of exploitive employment practices. Thanks Paul. You are missed.

Finally, be sure to look at the categories and entry forms for the Recruiter Awards 2018 – quickly now! – before the 19 January deadline. How did your business or your in-house recruitment operation exceed the norm and excel last year? We want to know!

Be fuelled by our FAST 50 – 2018 is going to be a great year!

DeeDee Doke, Editor

MERGER & ACQUISITIONS ACTIVITY involving recruitment agencies will likely increase in 2018 but there will be no return to the bumper deal volumes of 2015.

That’s according to Mark Maunsell, associate director, business services market intelligence at Clearwater International, the organisation responsible for researching Recruiter’s 2018 FAST 50.

Maunsell told Recruiter he expects deal volume to marginally increase in 2018 as political conditions stabilise in Europe and the US. But concerns around Brexit will mean deal volumes will not return to those seen back in 2015, he predicts.

“Trade buyers will be seeking to build presence in supply-constrained verticals and in combination with a broader geographic footprint. A good example is that of IT/technology recruiters with expertise in cyber security, digitalisation, software and big data placements. In addition, companies able to source candidates in industries expected to be impacted by Brexitrelated migrant labour shortages could also prove attractive,” he said “Private equity will continue to be interested in the sector with a focus on niche recruiters. A wall of money in combination with a continued favourable banking environment will mean investors are extremely competitive in terms of valuation. It is likely that we will see a number of investments made through 2012, 2013 and 2014 come to market, and this will help drive M&A activity for larger assets. New investors, whilst interested, will have one eye on the exit horizon given the timing in the cycle.”

In terms of which agencies would-be acquirers will have an appetite for, Maunsell predicts it will be those that can demonstrate use of technology to help drive candidate sourcing, matching and business development activities.

“A quick look at the M&A activity for Adecco, Randstad and Manpower over the last three years, and one quickly gets a feel for the importance leading companies are placing on technology in the future,” he added.

• The 2018 FAST 50 report begins on p19.

IM AGE | ISTOCK

p05_07_recruiter_news .indd 5

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 5

11/01/2018 15:44

NE WS

UPDATE



36,675 FOLLOWERS AS OF 11 JANUARY 2018

How to stay hired on The Apprentice GRAHAM SIMONS

CONSIDERING APPLYING FOR THE NEXT COHORT of the BBC’s The Apprentice? Recruiters have an advantage over candidates from other industries, says a previous winner of the reality show.

According to Lee McQueen (left), 2008 winner and managing director of Raw Talent Academy, recruiters naturally have a lot of the traits Lord Sugar looks for in his winner. Drive, focus, adaptability and a business plan reflective of in-depth industry knowledge are what make recruiters who go on to become winners on The Apprentice stand out from the pack. “They just need to be themselves,” McQueen said, speaking exclusively to Recruiter. “In our industry, we’ve got fantastic characters [with] entrepreneurial flair, which is what makes our industry thrive so much.

“As recruiters we have our niche market and knowledge. We’ve got that entrepreneurial flair. My advice is to be yourself. One of the reasons I won was because of that – no shadow of a doubt.”

The Apprentice has proved to be a magnet for recruitment professionals. McQueen, 2012 winner Ricky Martin (right) and 2017 winner James White all worked as recruiters before entering the reality show.

2012 winner Martin, MD of Hyper Recruitment Solutions, echoes McQueen’s sentiments, claiming successful business plans on the show need to reflect a core specialism. “They are identifying what they want to do with that business but equally they need to know their market,” he said.

Martin adds that drive and focus are “fundamental characteristics” for a successful stint on The Apprentice. “I would recommend it to recruiters that have done [recruitment] for at least three to five years. Someone that’s done it for a year, thinking they’re going to go and win, hasn’t seen the full lifecycle of those personal interactions, and that’s what the process is all about. Fundamentally, it’s a people industry.”

Public sector should expand entry-level hiring to attract cyber talent COLIN COTTELL

THE PUBLIC SECTOR SHOULD EXPAND ITS ENTRY-LEVEL HIRING to attract the cyber and digital talent it needs, according to the managing director of tmp.worldwide.

Responding to a report by the global digital recruiting technology company, Robert Peasnell told Recruiter that up against well-resourced private sector employers, the public sector faced significant disadvantages. “In this sort of role, a lot of the decisions made by a candidate is based on ‘Will I be working with the latest packages?’. There is a sense that the public sector may not have the resources and the kind of infrastructure,” said Peasnell. Another factor was “the massive and growing salary differential”.

6 RECRUITER

p05_07_recruiter_news .indd 6

FEBRUARY 2018

Peasnell suggested one way for public sector employers to get around these difficulties was to increase entry-level recruitment, in both apprenticeships and graduate places.

When looking to attract experienced staff, Peasnell advised public sector employers “to be very clear about their proposition”. They should play to their public sector strengths, said Peasnell, for example, “by offering flexible working arrangements, and other lifestyle benefits”.

The report said that April’s changes to public sector IR35 offpayroll rules were hindering the situation, with up to 20,000 cyber, digital and IT contractors at risk of being lost to the private sector, if found to be inside IR35, “leaving a massive skills gap”.

Find more daily news stories at recruiter.co.uk/news

11/01/2018 15:45

N E WS

THOUGHTS FROM…

UPDATE

LEE MCQUEEN M ANAGING DIREC TOR , R AW TALENT ACAD EMY

“What you get out of life, is what you put in… If you’re willing to put everything in, then that’s what you’re going to get out.”

BRETT SMITHER AM CONSU LTANT, MERCURI URVAL

“Hold the mirror up to your process, folks, and ask the tough questions.

Don’t rely solely on your gut – the only outcome will be severe indigestion.”

MARK WALKER SE NIO R RECRUITMENT CONSU LTANT, PIE RECRU IT MEN T, SPEAKING ON THE SU BJEC T OF RECRU ITE RS

“Love us or hate us... there will come a time when you need us!”

Farewell to high margins COLIN COTTELL

Hugh Woods Ballard BUSINESS MODELS BASED ON HIGH MARGINS and high charges are unsustainable in the healthcare market, and will lead to the “downfall” of recruiters in the sector, according to the chairman of the UK’s fastest-growing recruiter.

Hugh Woods Ballard, chairman and co-founder Daniel Wise of healthcare recruiter Day Webster, issued the warning as Recruiter’s 2018 FAST 50 rankings revealed the Essex-based company to be at the top of the list. (See p19-27 for more on the FAST 50 and Day Webster.)

Woods Ballard, who launched Day Webster with fellow director Daniel Wise in 2009, said that competitors who depended on high margins and high charges were “all being squeezed” as agency spending in the NHS undergoes downward pressure, with the result that that many were “struggling significantly”.

However, Woods Ballard declined to say how many rivals would go to the wall, saying putting a figure on it was “too difficult”.

Fellow Day Webster founder Wise told Recruiter “a lot of the smaller agencies will struggle in this market” because they lacked the technology, compliance and general infrastructure to be able to compete when margins “are so small”. Woods Ballard said that following the introduction of the agency caps, his agency’s margins had fallen from 18% to around 14% in line with the market generally.

Woods Ballard said a shakeout of the sector was inevitable.

I M AG E S | PE TE R SE A R LE / B B C / I STOC K

STA RT-UP OF THE MONTH DENHOLM UNVEILS EMPLOYER CONSULTANCY Marketing recruitment agency Denholm Associates has launched its own employer brand consultancy Inside Out. The consultancy, launched late 2017, is led by advertising professional Mark Gorman, HR specialist Keith Thompson and the agency’s CEO Nicki Denholm and executive chairman John Denholm.

Commenting on the new consultancy’s mission, a spokesperson for the agency told Recruiter its aim is to bring “to life

the magic of organisations by clearly articulating and then marketing the employer brand”.

“We spotted a gap in the market, primarily in Scotland, for a fully integrated employer brand consultancy service that combines three core skills: HR and people strategy, branding and recruitment/search. We believe we’re unique in offering all three disciplines, along with creative implementation, media planning and buying both on and offline.

“Inside Out begins the employer brand journey from the inside helping organisations shape and manage their people strategies before communicating the key (differentiating) message first of all

within the organisation, creating strong advocacy, and then outside to prospective candidates.”

Looking ahead, the spokesperson said the consultancy, which principally targets the SME market, is looking to expand beyond Scotland.

“We aim to attract forward looking SMEs in all areas of business practice across Scotland and then beyond,” the firm’s spokesperson added.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 7

p05_07_recruiter_news .indd 7

11/01/2018 15:44

NE WS

THIS WAS THE MONTH THAT WAS… Here is a round-up of some of the most popular news stories we have brought you on recruiter.co.uk since the January issue of Recruiter was published D E C E M B E R •‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒→

MON, 18 DECEMBER 2017

IT’S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO BE A TOP BILLER, SAYS APPRENTICE WINNER WHITE

MON, 18 DECEMBER 2017

HUDSON SELLS RECRUITMENT AND TALENT MANAGEMENT BUSINESSES Hudson Global is shifting its focus to its recruitment process outsourcing business following an announcement that it plans to sell its European and Asia Pacific-based recruitment and talent management businesses.

The global talent solutions company announced the following sales: ● The sale of the firm’s Benelux-based recruitment and talent management operations to Dutch firm Value Plus, in a management buyout led by Hudson Benelux CEO Ivan De Witte for $24.7m (£18.5m). ● The sale of its recruitment and talent management operations throughout the rest of Europe to Luxembourgheadquartered Morgan Philips for $10.5m. The deal covers Hudson’s European operations in the UK, France, Spain and Poland as well as a network of franchise operations in Denmark, Sweden and Czech Republic. ● The sale of Asia Pacific-based recruitment and talentt management a-based Apache operations to Australia-based nt buyout led Group in a management

by Hudson Asia Pacific CEO Mark Steyn for $6m. Apache Group will take t-term debt in on this business’ short-term Asia Pacific, which wass $6.3m as of 30 September 2017 as partt of the deal.

More: http://bit.ly/2Fi7HLJ LJ

8 RECRUITER

p8-9 Month.indd 8

FEBRUARY 2018

It’s not just enough to be a top biller if you want to follow in the footsteps of 2017 Apprentice joint winner James White, who spoke to Recruiter following his victory on the show.

In the climax of the latest Apprentice, viewers saw finalists confectioner Sarah Lynn and IT recruiter White each awarded a £250k business investment and 50/50 partnership with Lord Sugar, with the business mogul unable to decide between the pair. White is the recruitment sector’s third winner following past winners Ricky Martin and Lee McQueen.

A jubilant White told Recruiter his victory was “like a dream come true”, having watched all 13 series of the show and also having read Lord Sugar’s book.

With regard to how he plans to use Lord Sugar’s investment, White revealed he aims to develop his firm Right Time Recruitment’s perm division. “We’ve got a lot of contract recruiters at the moment so I’m on the lookout for some good permanent billers to come in. We’re going to be targeting larger FTSE companies and evolving business as well. I think when building scale in business you need clients you can grow with.”

White told Recruiter it’s not enough to just be a top biller, adding his strong business mind, his strategic thinking and ability to build relationships made him stand out.

More: http:// bit.ly/2CUH7e3

W E D, 2 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

BIRMINGHAM RECRUITER SHARES HIS TAKE ON BIG SHAQ Yo! A Birmingham recruiter was out there rappin’ with the Christmas wrappin’ as the festive season got under way.

Mark ‘Hip’ Hopkins, director of engineering recruitment firm Thomas Lee Recruitment, agreed to share his little take on a Big Shaq attack with Recruiter and our readers. Here we go now…

Yo, Big Mark, the one and only Candidates hot, never exclusive, Nor on market for long…

Boom Two plus two interviews is four Minus 2 that’s 2 interviews too many, quick maths Everyday candidates on the block Some great (ah) See your vacant job, That candidate can do that job, But that job has a PSL – wack wack wack You manager be ducking (you man ducked) Hold tight, agency rates (my brudda) He’s got the skillz (big ting) Hold tight, my candidate (my guy) He’s got the experience (shew) I trap, trap, trap on the phone Movin’ that meeting, Interviews, hold tight I got KPIs (KPIs) On, on, on, on, on, on the phone doing 10 calls 10 by 10 (like my toes) You man thought I called?

I see a bell going, then I pose (chillin’) If candidate ain’t on it, I ghost (hah!)

Look at your PSL (check your PSL fam) You donut, PSL long like garden hose!

(Chorus) I tell HR, “Candidates hot,” I tell her, “Candidates hot” The HR told me, “You’re not on the PSL” I said, “Babes, candidates hot” (never exclusive) I tell HR, “Candidates hot, never exclusive” I tell HR, “Candidates hot, never exclusive” The HR told me, “You’re not on the PSL” I said, “Babes, candidates hot, never exclusive!”

(Published with permission from Mark Hopkins) More: http://bit.ly/2CXOKjr

IM AGES | I STO C K / B B C / G L A A / S H U T T E R STO C K

11/01/2018 15:41

T H U, 4 J A N U A RY 2 0 1 8

FORMER RECRUITER JOINS THE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER HOUSE Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother returned to our screens, with the recruitment industry boasting a former recruiter in the ‘stellar’ line-up.

Ex-Made In Chelsea star, model, DJ and presenter Ashley James is among the contestants for this latest series. According to her LinkedIn profile, it transpires James did an eight-month stint as a recruitment and training department manager at fashion chain Abercrombie & Fitch More: http://bit.ly/2EqCNzH back in 2011. Who knew?!

31

DAYS

←‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒• J A N U A R Y

TUE, 2 JANUARY 2018

MON, 8 JANUARY 2018

GLAA ‘CHAMPION FOR THE EXPLOITED’ BROADBENT DIES SUDDENLY

US GRI ACQUIRES MANAGED SERVICES PROVIDER DE POEL

Paul Broadbent, the CEO of labour exploitation prevention body the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has died suddenly aged 54.

The GLAA revealed Broadbent died on 27 December 2017. [Editor’s note: On 9 January, an inquest was told that Broadbent was found hanged at his home in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.]

Broadbent began his career as a police officer in Cumbria, progressing to assistant chief constable with Nottinghamshire Police ahead of joining the GLAA as CEO back in 2013.

In a statement sent to Recruiter, director of operations Ian Waterfield, on behalf of the GLAA’s executive management team, paid tribute to Broadbent as “a champion for the vulnerable and exploited”, who understood the importance of the GLAA “building strong relationships to create an alliance with the capability of tackling head on the complexities of labour abuse and modern slavery”.

Waterfield said Broadbent’s legacy is the GLAA, with its core principle of working in partnership to protect vulnerable and exploited people.

A “warm, funny, generous man, who cared deeply for GLAA colleagues”, Broadbent believed passionately that the scourge of modern slavery and labour exploitation can be defeated by partners and organisations working together, Waterfield said.

“His death is a shattering tragedy for those of us who knew him and the world is a far poorer place without Paul Broadbent,” he said.

More: http p://bit.ly/2CRSd2T y

W E D, 3 J A N U A RY 2 0 1 8

GATENBYSANDERSON WINS RACE TO RECRUIT REC GREEN’S SUCCESSOR Executive permanent & interim recruitment specialist GatenbySanderson has won the race to recruit Kevin Green’s successor as CEO at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

The recruitment trade body began seeking a successor for Green back in November following the announcement he would step down from his role this spring after almost a decade as CEO. The ad, which will feature on a number of external job boards including Recruiter’s own job site, calls for an “exceptional” CEO with “vision, innovation, creativity and drive”, as well as “outstanding” commercial skills and the ability to get to grips with key policy drivers to play a key ambassadorial role in promoting the work and impact of the recruitment industry. The role commands a “substantial” six-figure package, according to the job ad.

Managed services provider de Poel has been acquired by Geometric Results Inc (GRI), a subsidiary of Detroit-headquartered global business process outsourcing company MSX International.

Cheshire-headquartered de Poel currently manages a temporary recruitment spend of over £750m, working with 3,500 recruitment agency partners, serving over 120 private and public-sector clients – with their neutral vendor solution supported by their technology platform e-tips.

A de Poel spokesperson told Recruiter the de Poel name will initially be retained following the acquisition, although no decision has been made on whether this will be the case moving forward. The firm will continue to operate out of its Cheshire headquarters. The amount workforce solutions provider GRI paid for de Poel has not been disclosed.

UK CEO of de Poel Andrew Preston (pictured below) will continue in his role following the acquisition. Commenting on the deal, Preston said: “The acquisition will allow us to move more quickly to broaden the scope of our services for our existing and future clients.”

GRI president Art Knapp added: “Since neither company is affiliated with a staffing firm, each creates individualised, strategic solutions for every client. Merging de Poel and GRI creates a leading global extended workforce solutions provider with a strong US and European presence.”

More: http://bit.ly/2mhV7nQ

More: http://bit.ly/2CERkuo

Find Fi d more d daily il news stories t i at recruiter.co.uk/news

p8-9 Month.indd 9

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 9

11/01/2018 15:41

NE WS

CONTRACTS

CONTRACTS & DEALS

Locum People Medical recruitment agency Locum People has secured an NHS Framework contract to supply locum doctors and nurses to hospitals in Northern Ireland. The award of the HSC Business Services Organisation Framework for Northern Ireland covers 35 major hospitals and all five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland – Belfast, Northern, Southern, South-Eastern and Western. The framework win follows the agency’s appointment to the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Agency’s Framework for nurses.

Head Medical Edinburgh-based medical recruiter Head Medical has been appointed by NHS Dumfries and Galloway to conduct an overseas recruitment campaign to help fill vacancies for doctors.

Head Medical is set to launch a fully integrated recruitment campaign in the New Year, including a comprehensive marketing drive in the UK and Europe, as well as speaking to its existing UK and international database of doctors and holding events in key target countries, such as Sweden and Greece. The campaign will run until all vacancies are filled. Head Medical expects the first positions to be filled by next summer.

Key Recruitment and Training Key Recruitment and Training has been approved to deliver recruitment industry apprenticeships on behalf of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

Ahead of the launch of new resourcer and recruiter apprenticeship standards, Key will assist the REC in delivering apprenticeships to its members. Key also delivers apprenticeships in business administration to help compliance teams, customer services to develop future resourcers and recruiters and team leading and management.

CSG International recruiter CSG has acquired contract recruitment business Contract UK Staffing Solutions. As part of the deal, CUKSS has rebranded to CRE: Contract Recruitment Experts. It will operate as part of the CSG group and support clients with temporary and flexible workforce solutions across several sectors, but maintain a primary focus on the engineering & construction, IT and consumer industries. CSG officially launched in 2015 following the merger of several recruitment businesses, and specialises in the placement of midsenior level roles.

Principality Recruitment Cardiff-based HGV and manufacturing recruiter Principality Recruitment has implemented Credas, an app that uses realtime facial recognition technology to help automate ID verification and candidate registration processes for the recruitment industry. Principality previously used paperbased processes to verify candidates and complete Right to Work processes. With Credas, candidates can now verify themselves anywhere, and at a time that suits them, by using a mobile app.

DEAL OF T HE MONT H

Geometric Results Inc Managed services provider de Poel has been acquired

by Geometric Results Inc (GRI), a subsidiary of Detroitheadquartered global business process outsourcing company MSX International.

Cheshire-headquartered de Poel currently manages a

10 RECRUITER

p10 contract deals.indd 10

FEBRUARY 2018

temporary recruitment spend of over £750m, working with 3,500 recruitment agency partners, serving over 120 private and public-sector clients – with their neutral vendor solution supported by their technology platform e-tips.

A de Poel spokesperson told Recruiter the de Poel name will initially be retained following the acquisition, although no decision has been made on whether this would be the case moving forward.

The firm will continue to operate out of its Cheshire

headquarters. The amount that workforce solutions provider GRI paid for de Poel has not been disclosed.

Parent firm MSX International was acquired by private equity investor Bain Capital Private Equity in January last year.

More contract news at recruiter.co.uk/news

11/01/2018 12:17

Sometimes things aren’t always quite what they seem

FCSA Accredited Members: Adhere to rigorous standards.

Are assessed against a published Code of Compliance.

Are independently tested by regulated accountants and solicitors.

Have their FCSA audit disclosed to HMRC. Prove their compliance annually.

Take a closer look at your PSL. Check they’re an

Accredited Member

0203 772 8622 | info@fcsa.org.uk | www.fcsa.org.uk

Notice under the Trustee Act 1925 Section 27 Adecco Group Pension Scheme Pursuant to section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925, the Trustee of the Adecco Group Pension Scheme (the “Scheme”) hereby gives notice that the Scheme is in the process of winding-up and that the Trustee will distribute the Scheme's assets in accordance with legal requirements. This includes the purchase of Section 32 buyout policies with Legal & General for members who do not choose to transfer their Scheme funds to another approved pension arrangement.

Announcements regarding the winding-up process have been posted where possible to all known Members of the Scheme.

The Trustee of the Scheme urges that any persons with whom the Trustee has not already been in contact having any claim or demands upon or against the assets of the Scheme, or an entitlement to a pension or any benefit from,

REC.02.18.011.indd 11

or interest in, the Scheme, should write setting out details of their claim to: The Trustee of the Adecco Group Pension Scheme, c/o Barnett Waddingham LLP, Pinnacle, 67 Albion Street, Leeds, LS1 5AA, within two months of the date of publication of this Notice (23rd January 2018).

At the end of the two month period from the date of publication of this Notice, the Trustee will proceed to wind up the Scheme, having regard only as to the claims, whether formal or not, of which written notice shall have been received by the Trustee and the interest of those Members of the Scheme of whom they have knowledge, and will not be liable to any other person.

Notification is not required from persons who have already received correspondence relating to the winding-up of the Scheme from the Trustee.

09/01/2018 17:10

TRE NDS

INSIGHT

HOW TO USE BEHAVIOURAL DESIGN FOR ORGANISATIONAL INCLUSION As was the case in the professional orchestral world, unconscious bias can affect many organisations, from initial recruitment through to the way the workforce functions on a day-to-day basis.

How can recruiters and companies overcome this bias?

results in a more equitable distribution of conversation. Not only does this help with improving the inclusion of minority groups and introverts, but it also has been shown to lead to improved decision-making.

One last idea is to increase the ‘psychological safety’ of employees by normalising dissent.

There is a lot of evidence that marginalised groups feel

B Y S T E P H E N F RO S T A N D R A A F I-K A R I M A L I D I N A

I

n 1970, only 5% of musicians in the top five orchestras in the world were women. Were women just generally worse musicians or was something more complex going on?

When auditioning musicians, the interviewers are, in theory, judging them based purely on the sound of their instrument.

However, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) decided to try something different: it interviewed prospective musicians behind a curtain – blind auditions.

In doing so, the BSO, and other orchestras that followed suit, increased the likelihood of female musicians advancing to the next round by 50%.

Interviewers were now truly focused on the music, and undistracted by irrelevant factors such as gender stereotype, perceived intelligence or ‘gravitas’.

It took time for everyone to get on board (the Vienna Philharmonic didn’t hire its first woman until 1997), but now 35% of musicians in the most acclaimed orchestras are women.

What this story tells us is that even when we try to be as objective as possible, factors like gender can influence our decision-making. That is, we are unconsciously biased. And this intervention – having auditions behind a curtain – is an example of what behavioural scientists call a ‘nudge’.

We all have unconscious biases – stereotypes that we aren’t even aware of, resulting in ‘gut feeling’ 12 RECRUITER

behaviours that are beyond our conscious control. They might be about gender, race, age, accent, introversion, or myriad other things. Overcoming bias requires repeated, consistent, conscious action over long periods of time. But in the meantime, we can make use of nudges: that is, we can try to construct our surroundings to reduce the number of opportunities for bias to come into play.

One easy place to start is to remove biased language from job advertisements. Many job descriptions have been shown to more often use language that turns off minority groups (women, BAME, disabled people) from applying like “ambitious”, “assertive” or “individualistic”.

By using more inclusive language like “takes initiative” instead of “ambitious” organisations are more likely to attract a more diverse set of applicants.

Even if you already have a diverse workforce, leveraging that diversity and ensuring that everyone has a voice at the table can be difficult. One way to encourage that is to rotate the chairperson in team meetings. This tends to encourage a greater number of people on the team to speak up, and

FEBRUARY 2018 I MAG E | SH U T T ER STOCK

p12-13 Recruiter_FEB18_Insights.indd 12

11/01/2018 12:18

T R E N DS

INSIGHT

like they can’t express disagreement with their superiors for fear of being further marginalised, to the detriment of both inclusion and decision-making.

Not wanting to make this mistake, the US State Department leverages something called “dissent channels”.

These are channels through which State Department employees are encouraged

to express their dissent, and they cannot be punished for doing so. By creating a formally approved way for people to express disagreement, it encourages more people to speak up, whether through the channels or in meetings in general. This has been used to great effect – most famously, dissent channels were instrumental in coming up with more creative solutions to the crisis in Bosnia in the 1990s, leading to the signing of the Dayton Accords.

These types of nudges have been helpful in the private sector as well.

For example, in one professional services firm managers wanted to find a way to change meeting culture so that all people would feel supported and feel like the company really cared about inclusion.

So, at the beginning of every meeting, managers started by saying: “Just a reminder not to use sexist language.”

As a result not only did employees feel like the organisation was more inclusive, but they were more likely to speak up in meetings and come up with more creative and innovative solutions.

The world of nudges is vast, and has a great number of innovative ways to encourage inclusion. Organisations need to leverage these to remain at the vanguard of talent management, otherwise they will fail to truly leverage the skills of their employees and reach their full potential. ●

KEY POINTS

1 2 3 4 5

Even though we like to think we are objective and make rational decisions, we are all unconsciously biased

6

‘Psychological safety’ of employees is important for them to speak up, contribute to improved decision-making, and increase inclusion

Trying to correct this bias through conscious training of the brain is possible but very hard and requires consistent and repeated effort We can also mitigate unconscious bias through implementing “nudges’, interventions that change our decision making framework One example of a nudge is in recruitment advertisements and changing individualistic language to more inclusive language Another example of better using the diversity already present in an organisation is by rotating the chair of the meeting to ensure better distribution of conversation, or by using verbal cues to set the tone in a meeting and give people explicit permission to speak up, who might not otherwise do so

↗ STEPHEN FROST (pictured) is the founder and RAAFI-KARIM ALIDINA is an associate of Frost Included, a consultancy that works with HR professionals to help them embed inclusion in their decision making. Stephen Frost’s latest book, Inclusive Talent Management – How business can thrive in an age of diversity, is out now, published by Kogan Page.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 13

p12-13 Recruiter_FEB18_Insights.indd 13

11/01/2018 12:18

REC.02.18.014.indd 14

09/01/2018 17:11

T R E N DS

TECH & TOOLS

A glimpse into Google Hire Google’s early entry into recruiting SUE WEEKES

According to data from Google, around four-fifths of candidates rated their last job experience as poor, while almost half of US employers (46%) report talent shortages and issues filling open positions even though the average amount spent per candidate is up to $4k (£2.9k).

Google vice president Bogomil Balkansky described this as “precisely” the sort of marketing challenge that the tech giant gets “excited” about, and the upshot is the introduction of the applicant tracking system (ATS) Google Hire in beta last year.

It is still early days and not yet available in the UK but Google’s entry into the recruiting market is, of course, worthy of examination. Recruiter sought the views of some early users.

WHAT SORT OF RECRUITER IS HIRE AIMED AT? For any recruiter that spends a lot of time in their Gmail inbox, Hire has the potential to bring major efficiency gains as it allows them to seamlessly move between the application and G Suite products, synching any activity.

Indeed, Google has been prescriptive for whom the product is targeted: businesses with under 1,000 employees, which use G Suite. Its research found more than 3 million businesses “pervasively” use G Suite for recruiting purposes – Calendar for scheduling, Hang-outs for video interviewing, Docs to write job descriptions and, of course, Gmail for communication. Hence it wanted to give users a dedicated tool to manage the lifecycle of an open job and track candidates.

Although it could one day scale up for bigger organisations or integrate with other applications,

initially Hire is very much a tool for those that inhabit the G Suite universe.

THE POWER OF INTEGRATION Integration with G Suite is one of Hire’s unique selling points and helps smaller recruiting teams streamline the recruiting process in the same way bigger organisations with more resources can. Yuichi Kurosawa, talent adviser at San Francisco-based recruitment firm Sourceress, used Hire when working as lead recruiter at Palo Alto smart payment start-up Poynt, which now employs up to 60 people. “Having to keep track of candidates is essential for any startup that wants to recruit long term,” he says. “As a start-up, G Suite is one of the first tools you get, so it made a lot of sense for us to use and it saved me a lot of time.” Fellow early user Teresa Olsen, engagement director, talent acquisition, at Chicago-based digital consultancy Productive

Edge, agrees. “It was extremely effective,” she says, citing as its chief strengths integration with calendars and email, the ease of parsing multiple candidates into the system, effective internal and candidate communications.

“It has streamlined our overall interviewing process making it more efficient.”

FILLING MULTIPLE POSITIONS Like all good ATSs, Hire’s aim is to make it easy to progress candidates through the recruiting process. Its approach is deceptively simple because its functionality is so well supported by the other G Suite applications.

Customisable templates for rejection and acceptance letters, hiring manager feedback facilities and the ability to calendar interviews are certainly not unique but are built into the application in such a way as to make navigation through the process as simple as

WHY SHOULD WE BE INTERESTED IN GOOGLE HIRE? Even though it isn’t available in Europe and the UK yet, Hire is just at the start of its development journey. It is proving effective as a tool that allows small recruiting teams to punch above their weight in terms of streamlining processes, which ultimately allows them to spend more time on value-added activities. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Hire is its current user base: a large cluster of start-ups and SMEs, many of which are operating in the tech sector. They are likely to be some of tomorrow’s industry disruptors, and Hire is helping them to scoop up hot new talent with critical skills that could prove decisive when it comes to gaining competitive edge.

I M AG E | R E UT E R S

p15_recruiter_techtools.indd 15

possible. Paige Laliberte, go-to-market recruiter at San Francisco tech startup CoreOS, reckons the ability to track emails and correspondence allows for clear communication within the recruiting team and between the hiring managers – especially useful when dealing with multiple positions.

“Candidates can exist simultaneously in several job roles without having several different profiles,” she says. “That way, you can have a candidate visible to two different hiring managers for two different reasons without having to pick and choose which profile to view on the recruiting side.”

SEARCHING STRENGTH Using its strengths as a search engine, Google makes it easy for Hire’s users to search an existing database to find a possible match for an open role with its Discover tool.

It also automatically performs a Google search on a potential candidate to find complementary information, such as profiles on other sites. The recruiter can also configure the software to automatically search on specific sources for additional information.

When it comes to reengaging with a previous

candidate, a recruiter can read all of the feedback on them as well as acquire new information. “For a start-up that doesn’t yet have a brand this is particularly useful as I’m the brand ambassador and have initially put a lot of effort into selling the dream,” says Kurosawa.

MEASURING SUCCESS It is still early days for Hire and Google told us it didn’t yet have a timeline for launch in the UK and Europe. As for pricing, every person at the company has to be licensed to use it, with a pricing model for a site licence annual contract of $2.4k for 50 people, $4.8k for 100 people and $12k for 250 people but it urges firms to contact Google for precise costs. Olsen believes Hire has already delivered a return on investment “multiple times”, while Laliberte is “absolutely” optimistic it will. “The tool definitely proves its worth when hiring for multiple positions at once,” she says, adding that it also helps to measure the efficiency of the hiring process and team. “In reporting, it allows you to track how long the hiring process takes, so you can measure if a certain team takes longer to get their feedback in or make a decision.”

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 15

11/01/2018 12:18

C

INTE R AC TIO N

VIEWPOINT

Opportunities abound The year of technology

BY PETER SEARLE

s we come into 2018 the bywords seem to be automation, diversity and impact of demographic trends.

Technology will be a major driver with online candidate attraction and scheduling platforms and automated matching tools linking directly to client scheduling systems becoming the norm within the hotel and events industries. This will help accelerate an already increasing trend towards using flexible labour in these markets. Technology will continue to help productivity in all recruitment sectors as the use of intelligent knowledge-based systems (IKBS) search engines enable recruiters to execute much wider cloud-based searches to more quickly and efficiently source candidates.

It is likely that agencies across the board will move to centralise more efficient sourcing teams, possibly on a global basis, utilising these technologies. This will not reduce customer service but will free up consultants’ time to provide an improved service to customers and candidates. Technology will also drive changes in pricing and demand. Automation will drive a drop in finance and administration roles. In contrast it will lead to an increase in demand for digital positions in both marketing and across all sectors of a client portfolio. The rise of the ‘chief automation officer’ and of the use of project management offices and ‘lean productivity’ teams, as well as a drive for companies to work in ‘agile’ ways, will lead to increased demands for those skills as companies restructure to take advantage of the new technologies becoming available.

A resurgence in the demand for engineering staff in all

A

+ PETER SEALE is CEO, Airswift

16 RECRUITER

FEBRUARY 2018

p16-17_recruiter_agency_soapbox.indd 16

“Technology will also drive changes in pricing”

sectors –especially in power in mid-downstream sectors – and new ‘clean’ energy as new types of fuels and power generation sources emerge will lead to a restructuring of many old industries.

This demand will further increase as markets/ governments need to upgrade, replace and improve infrastructure and transport systems to remain globally competitive and attract the skills they need to grow. The skills will need to be developed from the grass roots up, as there will be a huge demand to attract young talent into these industries, forcing governments to push STEM subjects in schools especially among young females.

This will help to drive the diversity agenda, which is essential to maximise the skills that exist in our society. Customers will focus on recruitment providers who can help them to achieve a more diverse workforce, in particular focusing on gender and ethnicity to give a more representative and therefore customer-aware and engaged workforce.

Demographic trends driving this are the move towards urban living and the ageing population as we live longer, healthier lives. This means that companies engaged in any form of social networking or virtual trading will be growth markets, attracting a new type of younger, digitally-aware employee. As a result of the ageing, yet more active and mobile population, growth will be seen in all sectors involved in nursing and medical care, but also travel and fitness/health.

Overall, I believe our market offers significant opportunity in 2018 but only for those companies who embrace technology and evolve to more customer-centric, efficient models. Successful recruiters will need to understand the requirement to be a facilitator of diversity recruitment programmes within our customers’ organisations, and follow the trends in demography and therefore demand.

IMAG E | ISTOCK / PAL HANSEN

11/01/2018 16:13

I N T E R AC T I O N

SOUNDBITES

L ET T ER S / W EB CHAT

MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO KEEP – AND FIND – SKILLED OPERATIVES Responding to a record fall in net migration, a new report from the REC highlights that a post-Brexit exodus of skilled foreign workers is deepening the skills shortage in engineering.

Contrary to general opinion, the operatives working in trenches, laying cables and making connections to substations, are not unskilled labourers but qualified technicians. As is the case with their colleagues working elsewhere in the network, their numbers are dwindling due to an ageing workforce and under investment in training. Now, a decline in the number of foreign operatives is exacerbating the problem.

As these industries become ever more technical, the need for skilled workers is growing. Without them, not only is the electricity supply threatened but so too are the country’s gas and water networks.

There have been some welcome initiatives by government such as Trailblazer apprenticeships, the Apprenticeship Levy and investment in AI in academia. And in the private sector, we are working with employers to develop new training programmes and strategies to attract young people to engineering and equip them with the increasingly technical skills they will need.

However, it is already clear the government will fail to meet its targets for smart meter installation due to a shortage of skilled operatives. That is more embarrassing than calamitous. It is clear much more needs to be done.

“What are you going to give up in 2018?”

PAUL MCQUE MA N AG I N G D I REC TOR , MPA RECRUIT MEN T

“Cold calls and the exhaustive KPIs [key performance indicators] that are attached to them.

We changed the way we went about our business last year and this year we’ll stop this altogether. No client can ever truly claim to be waiting on a cold call or sales pitch from a recruiter. For us to add real value we need to be in the business community talking to our clients – existing and potential – and be discussing where the gaps are in their business.

Our consultants are far happier to know that I expect them to become more entrepreneurial, acknowledging that recruitment and telesales are two different sectors.”

NEFINO JOANNIDES A S S OCI AT E D IREC TOR – F I N A N CE, L MA REC RU I T M E N T

“Having spent a career in recruitment, I feel well qualified to say that a lot of my fellow recruiters might have noticed a ‘shortening of the fuse’. Increasingly, I find myself more and more frustrated when things don’t go as planned.

Therefore, I’ve decided I am no longer going to get angry when something is beyond my control. LMA has invested in mindfulness coaching, which is teaching me (slowly but surely) to take a step a back, see the bigger picture, and accept that it’s not about how I react, but what I do in moving forward. Take a breather, think, reflect and then act!”

LEYLA TINDALL

CHRIS WOOD C E O, D E V E L O P T R A I N I N G

MA N AG I N G D I REC TOR , T I N DA L L P ERRY PA RT N E R S H I P

PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ARE JUST THAT – PERSONAL In response to your article ‘Be clear over social media screening, recruiters are warned’ (4 January), whilst tempting to use, I’m not convinced that trawling people’s social media accounts is a legitimate screening practice.

LinkedIn posts would be fair enough or posts on their employer’s accounts but not their personal ones as they don’t really have any influence over people’s capability to perform in their jobs.

“For us 2018 is all about having less limits, whether for our clients, candidates or business growth. We have committed to making a transformational difference to our clients and candidates, bringing enjoyment back to the recruitment process.

This is underpinned by the latest technology, from our paperless working environment to our introduction of new and exciting ways to find talent and access to candidates. The industry is set to see a huge evolution in the coming years, and we want to be at the forefront of this change to support our own objective of hitting £1m turnover in the next two years.”

ADAM JONES

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 17

p16-17_recruiter_agency_soapbox.indd 17

11/01/2018 16:12

Driving your success

by Microdec

WƌŽĮ ůĞ ŝƐ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŽŶ ƚĂďůĞƚ ĚĞǀŝĐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽƵĐŚ ƐĐƌĞĞŶƐ ƐŽ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƐƚĂLJ ŝŶ ƚŽƵĐŚ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ ǁŚĞƌĞǀĞƌ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ͘ With more than 30 years’ experience of helping our clients grow, ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ WƌŽĮ ůĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĂĐƟ ǀĞůLJ ĂƐƐŝƐƚ LJŽƵƌ ǁŽƌŬŇ Žǁ processes, ensuring consistency in your teams and maximising ƚŚĞ Ğī ĞĐƟ ǀĞŶĞƐƐ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƐƚĂī ͘ RI Supplier Awards 2017

Winner Best Recruitment CRM

t/EE Z͊

Z Zh/dD Ed /Ed ZE d/KE > ^d Z Zh/dD Ed ZD ϮϬϭϳ

Đ ŀ ł Ń Ń ƉƊƋƐƐ ƋƋƐƐƐƑ

REC.02.18.018.indd 18

09/01/2018 17:12

Multi-sector agencies make a comeback WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 19

p19_23_fast50.indd 19

11/01/2018 12:06

RE CRUITE R FAST 50 20 17

In th his pe eriod of uncertainty, multi-secttor recruiterss make e a come eback k in Reccruiterr’s FAST T 50 2018 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

2017 ranking 2 45 14 4 18

12 10 43 1

13 31 15 5 36 11

19 8 50

34 3 38 27 16

39

20 RECRUITER

p19_23_fast50.indd 20

Company

Sectors

Day Webster One Call Recruitment Navartis McGinley CEP Prospero Teaching Ethero X4 Group Marlin Green National Locums Venquis Futures.co.uk Frank Recruitment Group Venturi Hallam Medical La Fosse Associates Falcon Green ERSG Scope4jobs Passionate About People TeacherActive Phaidon Holdings STR Group Urban Recruitment Group Eames Consulting Group Your World Recruitment Group Recroot Eton Bridge Partners Caval First People Recruitment Red Snapper Group Direct Medics Central Employment First Call Contract Services Pro-Force Avenue Recruitment Evergood Associates Salt Recruitment Core-Asset Consulting ICG Medical Morgan Law Ignata Smart Solutions Recruitment Service Care Solutions Amida Recruitment First Point Group SEC Recruitment James Andrews Recruitment Solutions Futureheads Logical Personnel Solutions Whitehall Resources

Healthcare Industrial Technical Construction Education Multi-sector IT, Engineering, Pharma IT/Technology Healthcare IT/Technology Multi-sector IT/Technology IT/Technology Healthcare IT/Technology Construction Technical Industrial Technical Education Professional Multi-sector Healthcare, education Professional Healthcare Multi-sector Executive search Construction Multi-sector IT/Technology Healthcare Multi-sector Multi-sector Industrial Multi-sector Healthcare IT/Technology Finance Healthcare Professional Professional Multi-sector Multi-sector Construction IT/Technology Life sciences/pharma Multi-sector IT/Technology Industrial IT/Technology

Revenue (£000s) 89,564 29,345 30,441 114,537 23,486 11,547 18,255 17,092 19,228 17,927 13,184 126,492 17,049 25,837 61,946 22,860 40,090 15,673 72,185 33,129 33,031 56,673 51,159 40,222 117,430 20,651 30,662 26,331 14,681 25,558 27,906 13,707 58,029 21,675 15,346 25,610 30,856 13,832 74,568 37,267 35,614 89,509 40,577 13,178 58,741 24,412 10,914 13,509 26,384 46,950

Compound annual growth rate (%) 76.0% 75.4% 55.8% 50.5% 50.3% 47.0% 46.4% 46.3% 45.8% 45.0% 44.6% 42.3% 40.4% 39.2% 38.0% 37.6% 37.4% 37.1% 37.0% 34.9% 34.2% 33.5% 32.8% 32.6% 32.6% 32.3% 31.5% 29.5% 29.2% 29.1% 28.7% 28.3% 27.8% 27.5% 27.5% 27.4% 27.3% 27.1% 27.1% 27.0% 26.8% 26.5% 25.9% 24.5% 24.4% 24.0% 24.0% 23.9% 23.9% 23.6%

FEBRUARY 2018

11/01/2018 12:06

Key shareholders

Website

Headquarters*

Financial year-end

Hugh Woods Ballard, Daniel Wise Andrew Chittock, Sharon Chittock Jim Sloan Colm McGinley Robert Grays, Lesley Grays Gareth Hughes Glenn Norris, Mike Norris, Peter Rabey Annette Fox, Beth Dixon David Cook, Glenn Cook, Jenny Cook, Natalie Cook Barnaby Parker David House, Tom Liptrot TPG Capital Brad Lamb Scott Davies Simon La Fosse, Linda La Fosse Jack O'Connell, Joseph Sweeney, Kieran Nestor Peter Flaherty, Jim Ryan, Lucien Sullivan Tony Wilson Raymond Pugh, Alan Beresford Simon Ryder, Jagjeet Uppal Adam Buck Richard Crawley, Clive Hutchings Russell Prince Matthew Eames Tony Moss, Richard Phillips Jacob Marrs Ashton Ward Jamie Talbot, Oliver Burt Mark Foster, Paul Simpson Martin Jerrold Paul Mulvenna, Anne-Marie Flannery Paul Ponton, Mark Trett, Steve Hart David Mankelow, Kevin Gray Matt Jarrett Ian Campbell, Rona Campbell Martin Healy, Emma Healy Marco Schiavo, Paul Gardiner Betsy Williamson Adrian Treacy, James Parsons David Morgan, Simon Law James Caan Nathan Bowles Chris Musgrove Aaron George Alistair Rynish Mobeus Equity Partners, Stuart Britton, Nigel Gardner Daljit Banning Balvinder Blake, Charlie Hoult, Gillian Arnold, Rachel Murray Stephen Durant, Ben Lerner Tremayne Hall

www.daywebster.com www.onecallrecruitment.co.uk www.navartis.co.uk www.mcginleycep.co.uk www.prosperoteaching.com www.ethero.co.uk www.x4group.co.uk www.marlingreen.com www.nationallocums.co.uk www.venquis.com www.futures.co.uk www.frankgroup.com www.venturi-group.com www.hallammedical.com www.lafosse.com www.falcongreen.co.uk www.ersg.co.uk www.scope4jobs.com www.passionateaboutpeople.co.uk www.teacheractive.com www.phaidoninternational.com www.strgroup.co.uk www.urbanrec.co.uk www.eamesconsulting.com www.yourworldhealthcare.com www.recroot.net www.etonbridgepartners.com www.planetcaval.com www.fprgroup.com www.redsnappergroup.co.uk www.directmedics.com www.centralemployment.co.uk www.firstcallcontractservices.co.uk www.pro-force.co.uk www.avenuerecruitment.co.uk www.evergoodassociates.co.uk www.welovesalt.com www.core-asset.co.uk www.icg-medical.com www.morgan-law.com www.ignata.com www.smartsr.co.uk www.servicecare.org.uk www.amida-recruit.com www.firstpointgroup.com www.secrecruitment.com www.jarsolutions.co.uk www.wearefutureheads.com www.logicalps.com www.whitehallresources.co.uk

Loughton Peterborough Doncaster Watford London Telford London London Milton Keynes London Leeds Newcastle Wilmslow Sheffield London London Bromley Maidstone Stonehouse Birmingham London Portsmouth London London London Bury St Edmunds Windsor Leeds Brighton London Belfast Newcastle upon Tyne Waltham Cross Canterbury Dunfermline Hertford London Edinburgh London London London Newport Preston London London London Leicester London Leeds Colchester

Mar 2016 Mar 2016 Mar 2017 Dec 2016 Jun 2016 Apr 2017 Sep 2016 May 2017 Feb 2017 Dec 2016 Jul 2016 Nov 2016 Sep 2016 Apr 2016 Dec 2016 Mar 2017 Sep 2016 Sep 2016 Jun 2017 Dec 2016 Oct 2016 Dec 2016 Aug 2016 Dec 2016 Dec 2016 Sep 2016 Dec 2016 Dec 2016 May 2016 May 2016 Jan 2016 Sep 2016 Dec 2016 Mar 2016 Dec 2016 Sep 2016 Dec 2016 Jun 2016 Mar 2016 Sep 2016 Dec 2016 Jul 2016 Mar 2017 Mar 2016 Apr 2016 Dec 2016 Mar 2016 Dec 2016 Nov 2016 May 2017

* If the head office is not stated, then location closest to registered address used

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 21

p19_23_fast50.indd 21

11/01/2018 12:06

RE CRUITE R FAST 50 20 17

FAST 50 2018: UNCERTAINTY BITES Data compiled by mergers & acquisitions specialist Clearwater International demonstrates a slowing growth rate for privately-owned recruitment firms

I

t has been a year like no other. A year in which Article 50 has been invoked and the UK commenced negotiations to exit the European Union and forge future trading relationships. Irrespective of which side of the fence one sits, Brexit has undoubtedly created uncertainty, which in turn has weighed on candidate and client confidence in certain sectors.

However, despite the less favourable backdrop, market-leading, privately-owned recruitment agencies have continued to report strong growth, albeit at lower levels than previous years. Constituents of this year’s 2018 FAST 50 grew by an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35%, down from 43% in 2017. The results are based on financial years ending between March 2016 and June 2017.

The UK recruitment market is not only the largest in Europe, but it is also the most fragmented. Data from Companies House indicates that there are around 28,000 recruitment agencies in the UK and this number continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. It is therefore no surprise that each year features a new breed of recruiters placing in the FAST 50 for the first time, dislodging

22 RECRUITER

p19_23_fast50.indd 22

more established agencies who struggle to maintain such high levels of percentage growth. In this year’s ranking, 24 of the companies placed for the first time, with a number being founded in the last five years.

Unlike previous years, which saw the resurgence in the level of niche specialists, 2018 marked the return of multi-sector agencies. New entrant Ethero led the way for the category, but a further 10 agencies placed. Multi-sector agencies are often well positioned to drive revenue growth through a more challenging trading environment as they are less exposed to

Talent shortages represent the major constraint to growth in the coming years

sector specific challenges, in addition to often focusing on higher volume, blue-collar temps.

Niche sectors with strong market fundamentals still continue to be highly represented. IT is the best example and accounted for 20% of constituents. The sector is of ever-greater importance as companies recognise the all-encompassing role technology is playing in business and as such the necessity to source top talent. Further, with a changing regulatory landscape in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and increasingly high profile and frequent data breaches as recently seen with Uber and Equifax, agencies able to source vetted talent particularly for roles in IT security, big data, artificial intelligence and cloud have performed well.

Unsurprisingly, agencies focused on the construction and engineering markets also featured highly. The commencement of Hinckley Point, Road Investment Strategy (RIS) 1 and High Speed 2, and further mega infrastructure projects in the pipeline, have helped create a favourable market. However, sourcing talent now represents the strongest capacity constraint to delivery. A situation

FEBRUARY 2018

11/01/2018 12:06

+ L-r: MARCUS ARCHER and MARK MAUNSELL, compilers of the Recruiter FAST 50 report from corporate finance house and international M&A specialist Clearwater International

further exacerbated by a fall in net migration in the last 12 months, with reduced levels of immigration and a rise in emigration by EU citizens, as reported by the ONS in November. It is therefore a great achievement for Falcon Green, Caval and X4 Group to appear in the ranking for the second year running, demonstrating an ability to engage with prospective talent.

It is also worth mentioning the healthcare sector, with seven specialist

agencies placing in the FAST 50, including Day Webster, which topped the ranking with a CAGR of 76%. While the price caps have now been in place for just over two years, we are still yet to fully see the impact of the initiative in the FAST 50 as, in the main, the accounts date to early 2016. Statistics from NHS Improvement, however, indicate that agency spend fell by around £600m to £3bn in the initial 12 months, but it will be interesting to review the revenue growth on-framework

METHODOLOGY The annual Recruiter FAST 50 prepared by Clearwater International lists the fastest-growing, privately-owned recruitment companies in the UK, according to a revenue compound annual growth rate over the three most recent annual reporting periods.

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION: To qualify, companies must be unquoted, registered in the UK and not subsidiaries, although their ultimate holding companies may be based offshore. Companies that are backed by private equity or other financial investors, either minority or majority equity stake, are also considered for inclusion. All companies considered for inclusion must achieve minimum annual sales of £5m in each of their last three financial years.

EXCLUSIONS: Companies that have filed abbreviated accounts at Companies House without disclosing audited sales are excluded from the FAST 50. Companies whose latest available filed accounts are 2015 or before are excluded. Companies that are not ‘pure play’ recruitment companies are also not considered. Recruiters that are co-owned by foreign trade recruitment companies or where a listed recruitment firm holds a minority stake are also discounted.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Qualifying companies are identified through independent research, which utilises a number of financial databases, Companies House information, press coverage and other research sources. Entry submissions are therefore not required, although any firm which believes that it may not be automatically assessed in the 2019 FAST 50 may contact Clearwater International to discuss. Please email mark.maunsell@cwicf.com

agencies have achieved next year and the impact from changes to IR35 regulation.

Education is another sector under the public spotlight and one that faces impending government intervention.

While the jury is out on the level of participation in the CCS framework and the ease of implementation, it is likely, in due course, education agencies will be faced with a similar volume to margin trade-off proposition in what remains a sector with huge supply-demand imbalance. For now, though, it is promising to see three specialist agencies appear in the top 30 of the FAST 50 for at least the second year running, with Prospero Teaching ranking the highest in 5th place.

Private equity funds continue to play an increasing role in shaping the recruitment landscape as they look to invest in fast growing, profitable and often single sector focused recruiters. Consequently, many FAST 50 companies are often considered key acquisition targets for mid-market private equity groups or already operate under private equity ownership. To illustrate the point, earlier in the year Frank Group completed a secondary buyout with TPG Capital, while Hallam Medical and RDL Corporation are backed

by Key Capital Partners and Mobeus Equity Partners respectively.

Despite the more uncertain backdrop, it is yet again extremely positive to witness progressive independent recruitment firms report such high levels of growth.

Talent shortages represent the major constraint to growth in the coming years and are a topic that will remain firmly under the microscope as the UK negotiates its divorce from the EU. Companies able to adopt more innovative approaches to sourcing qualified candidates, and to think more laterally about transferable skill sets in addition to sector experience, are best placed to succeed.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 23

p19_23_fast50.indd 23

11/01/2018 12:06

TH E B IG STO RY REC RU ITER FAST 50 20 18

Hugh Woods Ballard 2015 to date: Chairman, Day Webster 2009-15: Managing director, Day Webster 2002-09: Group financial director, Morgan Hunt Other roles at Medical Exchange Online, Experian, and Cazenove Communications

Healthcare recruiter Day Webster tops the FAST 50 charts but its founders plan on greater success in the future. Colin Cottell investigates

PHOTOGRAPHY | PETER SEARLE

24 RECRUITER

p24-27_fast 50 winners.indd 24

FEBRUARY 2018

11/01/2018 12:07

he sales floor is a hub of activity at healthcare recruiter Day Webster, where staff are beavering away at row after row of desks that recede into the near distance. It’s a far cry from the scene just eight years ago when Hugh Woods Ballard and his co-founder and fellow director Daniel Wise launched the company from a service office in Liverpool Street in the City of London.

Since then the Loughton, Essex-based company has gone from strength to strength, its staff numbers shooting up from just two in 2009 to nearly 300 today. The company’s impressive record of growth has now been recognised in Recruiter’s latest FAST 50 rankings. Compiled by mergers and acquisitions (M&A) specialists Clearwater International, the 2018 FAST 50 reveals Day Webster to be the fastest-growing privately owned recruitment company in the UK. In 2016, turnover hit nearly £90m, up from £63.6m in 2015, with profits after tax up a third on the previous year at almost £4.9m.

Such an achievement is the stuff of dreams for many recruitment bosses, but for Woods Ballard, its basis is disarmingly simple. Asked the principles behind

T

the company’s success his response is succinct and to the point: “Build a solid base, a high-volume low-margin business and treat people well. It’s as simple that; it’s not rocket science,” he says. It may not be rocket science, but it’s a formula that has propelled the company to its current exalted position.

Reminded of his quote in the media at the time of the launch that he had “always wanted” to run his own

company, and that it was “now or never”, Woods Ballard says he felt “embarrassed”.

But eight years on there is certainly nothing for the ex-group finance director at Morgan Hunt to be embarrassed about, as Day Webster has taken an ever-increasing share of the healthcare market, and now has around 250 mainly NHS Trust clients. “We never expected to have done as well as we have done,” Wise admits.

Daniel Wise 2009 to date: Director, Day Webster 2007-09: Sales director, John Michaels Search 2004-06: Manager, Healthcare Locums

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 25

p24-27_fast 50 winners.indd 25

11/01/2018 12:07

TH E B IG STO RY REC RU ITER FAST 50 20 18

Heart of the operation As joint founders, Woods Ballard and Wise remain at the heart of the company.

After previous experience in healthcare recruitment as a manager at Healthcare Locums, and some time as a headhunter, Wise explains how meeting Woods Ballard gave him the opportunity to fulfil his wish of getting back into temporary recruitment. “It seemed to fit,” adds Wise, though given the pace and extent of the company’s rise many might see this as an understatement. Both men acknowledge how Wise’s sales skills complement Woods Ballard’s financial acumen and back office expertise. Indeed, it was only two years ago that Wise “took a back seat” away from the sales floor.

Providing around 85% of Day Webster’s business, the NHS has always been front and central to Day Webster’s plans and ambitions. “We wanted to grow quickly, so we acquired a framework business [Care Providers in 2011] so we could do higher volume and lower margin business, and we could undercut the competitors,” says Woods Ballard.

By launching the company in 2009, at the start of what Woods Ballard has identified as the healthcare market’s seven to eight year HR/recruitment life cycle, Day Webster successfully rode the wave of several years of increasing NHS agency spend. While it was great while it lasted, Woods Ballard says he realised “things could not continue the way they were”. And following “the low point” when agency caps that set maximum charge rates and wage rates came in, contributing to margins being squeezed from 18% to around 14%, the company has been busily repositioning itself to align it to the new market realities.

“There is much more longevity in trying to work with the NHS and Department of Health than against them,” Woods Ballard explains.

Efficiency rules In line with this tougher environment for healthcare recruiters, the company now focuses its efforts on helping 26 RECRUITER

p24-27_fast 50 winners.indd 26

C O M PANY

Day Webster Year ended

31 March 2016

Turnover £89.6m After tax profit £4.88m Staff numbers: 300 Clients: 250

31 March 2015 £63.7m £3.67m

NHS trusts save money and become more efficient. The two directors are particularly proud of the company’s own vendor management software, which can be adapted to meet individual trust’s needs. With each invoice costing £6 or £7, Woods Ballard says the ability to send one consolidated invoice rather than one invoice per shift saves NHS trusts hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

It also provides NHS managers with information “however they want it”, such as fill rates broken down into specialist roles. “I want to see control going back to the trusts,” says Woods Ballard.

As a master vendor, Day Webster is able to ensure that fill rates are kept as high as possible by contracting out shifts that it can’t fill itself to its competitors.

FEBRUARY 2018

11/01/2018 12:07

Secret of success “We have opposing skills, and we have built up a good team” Hugh Woods Ballard

A special agency liaison team that operates separately from its consultants has been established “to ensure that all shifts get filled”. According to Woods Ballard, the company’s combination of software, its managed service and its recruitment side gives Day Webster a significant competitive advantage over rivals. “We have our competitors [in these different areas] but nobody does it all,” he claims.

Woods Ballard takes particular pride in taking the fight to what he describes as the “cowboy agencies” – “the higher charging agencies who have been taking the mickey, shall we say”. And he predicts the downfall of those rival companies whose business model depends on higher margins and higher charges, leading to a shake-out and consolidation in the market (see news story on p7).

he says Day Webster uses only one – weekly margin.

Despite clouds on the horizon such as Brexit, which could see a reduction in the supply of qualified healthcare staff from the EU, and the cliff edge of many nurses retiring, Woods Ballard remains positive.

With technology as a differentiator, he says the company is already making inroads into new areas such as doctors and other medical staffing markets, and has even branched into pastures new by launching its own education desk.

Although Wise says the plan is to

double company turnover to £200m, Woods Ballard says growing at the same rate percentage-wise as recent years is not on the cards. Nevertheless, he says growth, albeit growth that is less profitable than in the past, will continue.

“There will always be a requirement for agency spend to complement the internal staffing of the NHS, and we see ourselves as a major part of that,” he says.

For Woods Ballard and Wise, what might remain a dream for many recruitment bosses looks set to continue for a some time yet. ●

Motivation and engagement A committed, motivated and engaged workforce is invariably at the heart of any successful recruitment company, and Day Webster is no different. Wise points to a generous commission structure, as well as a light touch management style. “We don’t micromanage staff. We let them get on with it and treat them as if they were starting their own business,” he explains.

Neither are sales staff burdened with business development or compliance, with around a quarter of the company’s staff engaged on the latter.

Woods Ballard is no supporter of management by fear, and has gone on record in the past to extol the virtues of a more ‘carrot than stick’ approach to managing and motivating staff. Nor is he a supporter of what he sees as the excessive and counter-productive use of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the recruitment sector. In contrast, WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 27

p24-27_fast 50 winners.indd 27

11/01/2018 12:08

I FEEL GOOD, I KNEW THAT I WOULD, NOW

SO GOOD, SO GOOD, I GOT TO...

ENTER!

REC.02.18.028_029.indd 28

09/01/2018 17:14

2018 CATEGORIES INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

17/ BEST NEW AGENCY

1/

AGENCY RECRUITMENT LEADER OF THE YEAR

2/

IN-HOUSE RECRUITMENT LEADER OF THE YEAR

18/ BEST PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RECRUITMENT AGENCY

3/

RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

19/ BEST PUBLIC/THIRD SECTOR RECRUITMENT AGENCY 20/ BEST TEMPORARY RECRUITMENT AGENCY

IN-HOUSE AWARDS

21/ MOST EFFECTIVE BACK OFFICE OPERATION

4/

BEST CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

5/

BEST GRADUATE RECRUITMENT STRATEGY

22/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – MICRO (UP TO 10 EMPLOYEES)

6/

BEST APPRENTICE/ SCHOOL LEAVER RECRUITMENT STRATEGY

7/

IN-HOUSE INNOVATION IN RECRUITMENT

8/

MOST EFFECTIVE EMPLOYER BRAND DEVELOPMENT

9/

BEST IN-HOUSE RECRUITMENT TEAM

AGENCY AWARDS 10/ BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY MARKETING TEAM 11/ BEST CANDIDATE CARE

23/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – SMALL (11-49 EMPLOYEES) 24/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM (50-249 EMPLOYEES) 25/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – LARGE (250 + EMPLOYEES) 26/ MOST EFFECTIVE COMPLIANCE OPERATION 27/ OUTSTANDING OUTSOURCED RECRUITMENT ORGANISATION SUPPLIER AWARDS

12/ BEST CLIENT SERVICE

28/ RECRUITMENT TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

13/ BEST BANKING/FINANCIAL SERVICES RECRUITMENT AGENCY

29/ RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

14/ BEST ENGINEERING RECRUITMENT AGENCY

30/ MOST EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN

15/ BEST INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT AGENCY 16/ BEST IT/ TECHNOLOGY RECRUITMENT AGENCY

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER

Final entry deadline: 2 February 2018 recruiterawards.co.uk

REC.02.18.028_029.indd 29

@RecruiterAwards #recruiterawards

09/01/2018 17:15

Untitled-1 1

12/01/2018 08:08

Issue 58 February 2018

RECRUITMENT MATTERS The View and The Intelligence

Member of the month

Legal Update

Five things to watch in 2018 p2-3

Lynis Bassett of Class People p4

Growing businesses

Events and training p6

All new Compliance workshops p8

APPRENTICESHIPS WILL SHAPE RECRUITMENT AS CAREER OF CHOICE The government’s decision to approve funding and qualifications for recruitment apprenticeships will have a big effect on recruitment, says the REC. The decision by the Department for Education to approve funding of up to £5k per recruitment apprentice came in late December 2017 following three years of work by the REC’s trailblazer group.

The funding covers both recruitment consultants at level 3 and recruitment resourcers at level 2.

REC chief executive Kevin Green says the news will be welcomed by recruitment businesses looking for a confident start to 2018.

“We want recruitment to be a career of choice and apprenticeships are an important way to bring fresh

@RECPress RM_FEB_18.indd 1

talent into our sector. We need to secure thousands of new recruiters to meet potential growth in years ahead. Now our members can access funds gathered via the Apprenticeship Levy to p attract and train more p people inesses, for their own businesses, try to grow helping our industry and thrive.

“Recruitment iss a great industry to work in. With total revenues of £32bn at has it’s the engine that ible driven our incredible jobs market for ng decades by helping he businesses find the people they need and transforming livess by placing individualss into e says. fulfilling work,” he arning Derek Goff, Learning & Development manager ons and at Serocor Solutions

chair of the recruitment trailblazer’s employer panel, says: “It’s great news that the government has confirmed the funding for both these recruitment apprenticeships at a level which enables a y robust and effective delivery.

It has always been our

primary objective to create a programme of learning that is entirely fit for purpose and meets the needs of our modern, dynamic recruitment industry.”

The Apprenticeship y affects all business Levy with a payroll of o over £3m.

Recruitment businesses bu who met that turnover turnov – which included con contingent labour payrolls – were required to pay tthe 0.5% levy.

REC members looki to take looking adva advantage of the new funded recr recruitment app apprenticeships e are encouraged vis www. to visit rec.uk rec.uk.com/ apprent or apprenticeships contact their th account manager on 0 0207 009 2100.

www www.rec.uk.com 10/01/2018 15:53

Leading the Industry

THE VIEW

Our policy priorities aim to shake things up, says Tom Hadley, REC director of policy and professional services

Here are five things the recruitment industry needs to look out for in 2018, says Kevin Green, REC chief executive Let’s look ahead to what’s in store for the recruitment industry in 2018.

1) Will employers keep hiring?

Our data says that businesses will continue to hire and that overall employment will continue to grow in 2018, but the rate of growth might be slower compared to the last few years. Our industry has weathered difficult times before, and whatever the next few years hold I am confident that recruiters will adapt.

2) Will the post-Brexit deal become clearer?

We‘re hopeful that 2018 will bring a clearer understanding of the impact that Brexit will have on trade, the customs union and immigration. This should help to dispel the uncertainty that’s undermined our economy since the referendum.

3) Will the automation revolution hit the jobs market?

In 2018 we will see more predictions and analysis on the challenges that automation will present for the future jobs market.

4) Will recruiters recognise apprenticeships as an opportunity to grow?

The news that the government has approved the funding of recruitment apprenticeships is huge because it means that recruiters can now access up

2 RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018

RM_FEB_18.indd 2

2018 AND THE SEISMIC SIX… to £5k per apprentice. This will help the industry to recruit the people it needs to meet potential growth in the next few years.

5) Will the government stop interfering in the jobs market?

The REC continues to fight for a dynamic, flexible and agile labour market. We will respond to consultations on IR35 and the Matthew Taylor Review, and announcements on the government’s plans around both of these issues will follow during 2018.

Your REC membership in 2018 We have ‘In the round’ events planned for Q1, in Peterborough (28 February), Edinburgh (1 March) and Manchester (6 March). We will publish more podcasts and research to give you the knowledge you need. Our annual Talent, recruitment and employment conference (TREC) is an invite-only event this year. Hold 4 July in your diary and hope for an invitation.

This is my last New Year’s message and the REC Council hopes to make an announcement by the end of March about who will follow me as the REC’s chief executive.

Here’s to a prosperous new year.

Follow me on Twitter @kevingreenrec

In a recent member poll, 85% said that finding the right candidates got harder over the last year. With Brexit negations entering a new phase and the staffing squeeze set to intensify, 2018 will be a pivotal year for the jobs market and our industry.

1. Immigration & skills – UK businesses must be able to access the staff and skills they need to compete and grow.

As well as using our data and research to make the case for a balanced immigration strategy, we will ensure people and skills remain a key component of the government’s industrial strategy.

2. Industry regulations – The regulatory landscape must be proportionate and protect the interests of compliant businesses. Two of the priority areas we will be driving are next steps on the Mathew Taylor Review and on labour market enforcement.

3. Inclusion – Let’s make change happen by promoting good recruitment and showcasing our industry’s role in helping people from all backgrounds get into and progress in work.

4. Procurement – Public procurement must promote good recruitment, sustainable supply and flexible staffing arrangements. We will be driving this message through our work on in health and social care, education and the wider public sector.

5. Taxation – We want to ensure clarity and a level playing field and will be driving a strong response to the latest IR35 consultation. We will build on recent discussions with ministers and No 10 in making the case for the Apprenticeship Levy to be made into a more flexible training ley to benefit all workers.

6. The future of jobs – We will work with policy makers to build the best possible post-Brexit jobs market and use the findings of our Future of jobs commission to position our industry as the forefront of the future of work debate.

The input and drive of REC members will be pivotal as we continue to ramp up our industry’s voice on the challenges ahead.

You can follow Tom on Twitter @hadleyscomment nt

www.rec.uk.com

10/01/2018 15:53

25%

THE INTELLIGENCE WHAT’S BEHIND THE UK’S PRODUCTIVITY PROBLEM? The UK’s productivity – the amount produced per worker (or per hour) – is essentially the motor that drives sustainable growth. Figures from the last decade speak to an alarming truth for the future of the UK economy.

On one level, the UK has enjoyed unprecedented high rates of employment and low rates of unemployment.

Yet on another level, the economy has been impaired by stagnation and erosion of output. This, in turn, has pushed prices up with CPI inflation rising to 3.1% in November 2017 – the highest in nearly six years.

As the productivity gap between the UK and the rest of the G7 remains substantial, whatever factors stalled productivity growth in the wake of the 2008

AGENCY HEADCOUNT GROWTH IS RESTORED The latest information from the RIB Index shows that growth in the headcount of the median industry recruiter has been restored in 2017, following the need to trim back numbers in H2 2016.

With revenues and GP/ NDR in negative year-on-year territory across 2016, the median recruiter responded accordingly by initially constraining headcount growth (in H1) before paring back numbers in the

www.rec.uk.com

RM_FEB_18.indd 3

financial crisis appear to be a less convincing explanation for the persistently weak performance.

UK employment rates alone are not indicative of the overall economic conditions nor of hiring and investment decisions. As uncertainty brought about by the EU referendum shock and ongoing Brexit negotiations creeps in, productivity is further hindered by deteriorating employers’ confidence in the economy, as revealed in the REC’s December 2017 JobsOutlook report.

In particular, 33% of employers surveyed in September-November 2017 believe economic conditions are worsening while 25% believe they are improving.

Following a downward spiral since June 2016, the net balance (-9) for this period is the joint lowest on record.

Confidence in making hiring and investment decisions also

33% OF EMPLOYERS SURVEYED IN SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2017 BELIEVE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ARE WORSENING WHILE 25% BELIEVE THEY ARE IMPROVING

fell by three points to +11.

The UK is faced with a declining availability of candidates and an emergent mismatch of skills. A drop in net migration from the EU in recent months has exacerbated the adverse impact of a progressively shrinking workforce in the UK. The REC’s January 2018 ‘Report on Jobs’ reported a further steep drop in both permanent and temporary candidate supply during December 2017. At the same time, insufficient investment in infrastructure, new technology, education and training is severely impeding productivity however hard employees work.

A healthy, high-performing jobs market rests on the quality, skills and aspirations of its workforce. The recruitment

will continue to be highly changeable. In such a climate, the importance of benchmarking performance against industry peers – and having the agility to respond accordingly – cannot be underestimated.

Figure 1. Total employees versus last year (%) – quarterly average 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0 -2% -4%

Average monthly total employees v last year % Q1 Q2 2015

Q3

Q4

Q1 Q2 2016

second half of the year.

Against a more favourable backdrop of positive year-onyear growth in both turnover and £GP/£NDR figures in 2017, the median recruiter has had the confidence to add to

Q3

Q4

Q1 Q2 2017

its headcount once more.

As market uncertainty is set fair to continue for both employers and candidates alike, courtesy of on-going Brexit negotiations, the demands upon the industry

industry has a vital role to play in addressing heightened business concerns over the UK’s economic outlook and bridging the gap between persistently low productivity and labour market practices.

By focusing on the skills and quality of the UK workforce and ensuring professional and robust practices to secure and invest in new recruits, the industry will support businesses in planning their workforce effectively and increasing productivity so that the UK economy can recover and flourish.

To read more about the latest recruitment and employment trends, subscribe to receive Report on Jobs and JobsOutlook, the REC’s most up-to date sources of monthly UK labour market data and analysis.

Q3

Belinda Johnson runs employment research consultancy Worklab, and is associate knowledge & insight director of Recruitment Industry Benchmarking (RIB) – part of the Bluestones Group. The RIB Index provides bespoke confidential reports on industry benchmarks and trends. See www.ribindex. com; info@ribindex.com: 020 8544 9807. The RIB is a strategic partner of the REC.

RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018 3

10/01/2018 15:53

Member of the month

LYNIS BASSETT

A CLASS ABOVE Specialist education recruiters Class People rode the wave of a challenging 2017, but came out with two awards at the 2017 IRP Awards. Chief executive Lynis Bassett tells Recruitment Matters how they made it to the top of the class.

Recruitment Matters: Congratulations on your IRP Awards wins – has it sunk in?

Lynis Bassett: To be honest, are things any different now?

Not really, because we still plough on with carrying out our plans growing this business. We made some key changes in 2017 and it was a challenging year, so the recognition was good for the teams and individuals who had the courage to stay and work through the more difficult times. Surviving in good times as a recruitment consultancy is easy; surviving through challenging times is something else. Therefore the award is a big, big thank you to them.

RM: What made last year so challenging?

LB: It started in April 2015 when I noticed we were falling

4 RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018

RM_FEB_18.indd 4

behind the curve. There had been some key changes within the marketplace.

For 10 years, I had built a model around providing quality teachers who bring value and go the extra mile, and this worked well. But in what the sector calls “destress call” – ad-hoc daily sickness – many schools will opt for the cheaper option.

The market was inundated with competitors providing cheaper solutions. That put real pressure on our model.

We weren’t going to increase our rates and we weren’t in a situation where we could take on fewer candidates because

of the teaching shortage. The solution for us was to reduce our overheads.

RM: How did that play out?

LB: We have a superb head office that speaks volumes for us and our brand. It’s lively, it’s energetic, and it’s us. But where we were struggling was in our satellite offices. We felt too busy, almost like we were forever peddling in the lowest gear on the flats, ultimately going nowhere. I built this business on a gut feel for what is right and what is wrong.

I can’t go on gut feel alone anymore, but I look for the

“I REMEMBER AS A SUPPLY TEACHER I WAS TREATED LIKE A NUMBER. IT WAS A BIT LIKE A SAUSAGE MACHINE – THEY PUT TEACHERS AT THE TOP AND SQUEEZE THEM OUT THE BOTTOM INTO A CLASSROOM”

data to back that up. In looking for the data to back up my decision of the restructure, we asked our schools: on a scale of 1 to 10 does the location of our office matter? The results were that it always scored between one and three.

RM: How did the business start?

LB: In 2003, I was a primary teacher in Gloucester and had a lightbulb moment. The process for hiring supply was that a school couldn’t contact me directly – they had to go through an agency. I was tired of the phone calls and thought I could make it simpler by doing it myself. I never set up Class People to become what it is today – I was a freelance teacher finding a better way of working. But within three weeks of starting, I had schools saying “We’re short a teacher, do you know

www.rec.uk.com

10/01/2018 15:53

anybody?” About five years later, I reached a crossroads where I needed to decide if I wanted to run it as a lifestyle business, or pull out into the middle lane and put my foot on the accelerator.

RM: What happened next?

LB: The business has always been education first, recruitment second, but one of the key actions was to bring in an ex-director from Hays, someone who I say taught me how to recruit.

He talked about desks and candidates and suppliers instead of teachers and schools. He taught me to approach schools and ask if there were any roles available rather than waiting for them to come to us. But we still

www.rec.uk.com

RM_FEB_18.indd 5

differentiated ourselves on providing value.

RM: Tell me more about that approach.

LB: I remember as a supply teacher I was treated like a number. It was a bit like a sausage machine – they put teachers at the top and squeeze them out the bottom into a classroom. I knew I could tweak that proposition and make it more personal.

As a supply teacher, I always strived to add value to every class I taught in and treat it as though it was my own class.

We differentiated ourselves on providing a personal service and going the extra mile RM: What are your key challenges?

LB: Recruitment is hard

RM: What does 2018 look

and it’s becoming harder, especially in education.

There’s more competition now coupled with a lack of teachers. But this company is a good company to work for and we have a strong support network. We want to build our senior leadership team and we have some good people who we will grow and develop.

One of the big things for us is sharing knowledge.

Myself and my daughter Naomi – who also works for the company – understand the history and make-up of schools inside and out. We want to share that sense of history and our overall vision about where we’ve come from and where we’re going to go.

like?

LB: We are in a strong position coming into the New Year.

We’re in a more comfortable space than we were a year ago. Our focus remains on the delivery of that service.

The restructure allowed us to deliver a more efficient service to our schools because of that shared knowledge. Our emphasis is about creating raving fans and we can only do that by caring. Integrity is key for us, and if we care enough, we will create raving fans. We’ve also created two new opportunities for growth – we’ve recently made an acquisition and we’ve also moved into a new area in Bournemouth, Dorset and Hampshire.

RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018 5

10/01/2018 15:53

Legal update

GROWING BUSINESSES

By Lewina Farrell, head of professional services Growing a business is exciting but brings with it certain challenges including in HR, legal and compliance. In this article we highlight some of the issues growing businesses need to think about and where they may need extra support.

Internal needs Are you growing by volume or are you expanding into new sectors? Do you have the right people in place? Do you need to recruit externally, for example to bring in sector expertise, or can you promote internally and how will you backfill that resource? Either way make sure that your recruitment and promotion processes are fair and inclusive to all prospective candidates.

Do your working practices reflect the needs of an inclusive workforce? Consider how more flexible working might allow you to retain or attract a more diverse team. If promoting internally consider any additional training required, including management training, as well as any support the successful individuals will need.

If you are an owner/manager employing the first staff for your business where will you get your HR and legal support from?

Do your job descriptions reflect everything your staff do? Do you need to update contracts of employment? If people are moving into more senior roles you may need to lengthen their notice period and review garden leave provisions. You may also need to revisit their commission/ bonus arrangements as well

as post-termination restrictive covenants.

Do you need to bring in internal compliance?

As businesses grow their processes may become more complex or they may acquire clients with more stringent compliance requirements.

There will be a point at which compliance needs a dedicated resource to implement and manage these issues – great compliance can pay for itself whilst allowing the business owner to do what they do best.

If you have attracted external investment, how does that impact on you as a director/shareholder of your business?

The impact of scaling up Growing businesses may find that they come into the scope of new requirements, which

6 RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018

RM_FEB_18.indd 6

will impose additional cost or administrative burdens on them. These include: The apprenticeship levy – Businesses with a payroll of more than £3m are required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy, introduced in April 2017. The payroll includes temporary workers paid directly by the recruitment business and the levy calculation is done monthly. So growing agencies might find that they have to pay the levy, although they weren’t required to do so previously and therefore will need to review charge rates/ margins.

Gender pay reporting – Similarly, since April 2017 organisations with 250 or more employees have been required to complete gender

pay reports (the first reports are due by 4 April 2018). For the purposes of these reports ‘employee’ includes individuals required to provide their services personally so will include a majority of temporary workers paid directly by the recruitment business (those working through payment intermediaries will appear on payroll records of those businesses and count towards their 250 threshold).

Organisations must calculate on 5 April each year if they have 250 or more employees and if they do, they will have to publish a gender pay report by 4 April the following year on both their own website and a dedicated government website.

So, exciting times but lots to think about.

www.rec.uk.com

10/01/2018 15:53

Inspiration

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE INSTITUTE OF RECRUITMENT PROFESSIONALS

The View

Tim Hodgson n is a director att TGM Recruitment ment

Kristy Moore is the Recruiter of the Year

WHAT I KNOW

IRP AWARDS WINNER

What’s the background of TGM? TGM stands for Tim, Gary and Mark. We met 19 years ago when we worked for another recruitment agency within the construction sector. TGM deals with the supply of white collar workers within the construction industry on a freelance and permanent basis within London and the South-East.

Can you tell us about your role with Acorn?

I predominantly manage a team of four and recruit for all permanent placements across commercial and industrial sectors, as well as heading up the commercial temp desk and ensuring my team fulfil their job requirements week-in and week-out. I also attend new business meetings, generating sales for the branch, and ensure all existing clients are catered for and feel valued. There is no other industry that is so varied, with new challenges daily. Having exceptional customer service is key to being successful in my role, always putting the client first and understanding that without candidates you can never be a success in this industry.

Perm or temp placements?

We’re 60-40 in favour of perm over temp roles. We tend to work with a mix of clients, from SMEs to larger organisations based largely in London and the Home Counties.

How do you differentiate yourselves?

As a small to medium company, one of the ways we stand up to the larger companies is by offering a higher quality of service with more of a personal touch. We get to know our clients well – that way they always know which consultant to speak to when they call in who can offer that specific knowledge to enable us to service their needs and benefit our knowledge in the relevant sector. And the same for our candidates as well; we form a strong relationship so we can find out exactly why they are looking to seek a new opportunity and means we can give an honest assessment about them. Building a sense of trust is important for us.

What challenges lie ahead for TGM? The obvious one is Brexit – will companies be put off investing? Will they move out of the London market? We’ll have to wait and see. We also do a lot of work within the hotel and residential market and I don’t think they’re going to be affected too much because they’re booming right now.

Secondly, there’s the question about candidate shortages.

There are already fewer and fewer professionals around at the moment and I think the UK leaving the EU will have an effect on that too.

What about recruitment appeals to you?

Every day is varied and different from the last. Recruitment is fast-moving, ever-changing and I’m always learning. When visiting clients, it’s paramount to understand the client’s full requirements and what will work well for the business. Areas such as team dynamics are key as you need to visualise the company itself to place the right candidate that will stay and grow within the business for years to come. What I love about recruitment is helping candidates get placed in their dream roles, and knowing that I have made a difference whether it will be saving someone from losing their mortgage (due to them being made redundant), or helping someone overcome their nerves when applying for their first ever job.

I strive to be number one in marketplace, and always strive for perfection in all I do, so really getting to know your clients and what they are seeking will help you place the right candidate first time, every time, and increase profits year upon year What differentiates you from the competition?

My clear passion and never-give-up attitude also add value, as without these attributes, failure is inevitable.

To keep up to date with everything the Institute of Recruitment Professionals is doing, please visit www.rec-irp.uk.com

www.rec.uk.com

RM_FEB_18.indd 7

RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018 7

10/01/2018 15:53

What’s coming up?

ALL NEW REC COMPLIANCE TEST WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED Demonstrating best practice and compliance is an important part of working within the recruitment industry.

It is the professional standards that you adhere to, as an REC member, that set you apart from the rest.

That’s why the REC developed the online Compliance Test, and to help you with ensuring you remain one of the best

agencies in the business, the REC regularly runs compliance workshops.

These one-day sessions help you to understand all aspects of compliance within a recruitment business and enable you to pass the Compliance Test with flying colours.

We are running a number of Compliance Test workshops at our offices in London throughout 2018.

Compliance Test workshop dates • 26 January • 16 February • 15 March • 27 April • 18 May • 27 June • 19 July • 29 August • 26 September • 23 October • 23 November • 6 December Visit www.rec.uk.com/compliance to register or call 0207 009 2100.

BENCHMARK YOURSELF WITH RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY TRENDS 2016/17 Recruiters are the engine that drives the UK labour market. Recruiters helped almost 1 million people find a new permanent job in 2016/17, and on any given day there are 1.3 million temporary agency workers on recruiters’ payroll.

Total industry turnover was £32.2bn in 2016/17; £28.2bn (87.6% industry turnover) was achieved through temporary/contract placement activity, while approximately £4bn (12.4%) was generated through permanent placements.

The report also provides valuable data about the hours worked by temporary workers, and the REC’s forecast for industry growth.

We produce recruitment industry trends for our members. We encourage you to copy the charts and tables to use in your own internal reports and presentations to clients.

Visit www.rec.uk.com/trends to download the report and try our interactive benchmarking tool.

SCALE UP: IN THE ROUND DATES 2018 • Peterborough - 28 February • Edinburgh - 1 March • Manchester - 6 March

RECRUITMENT MATTERS The official magazine of The Recruitment & Employment Confederation Dorset House, 1st Floor, 27-45 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NT

Photo credit: Recruitment Matters would like to thank Cori Shearer at alacodeblog for last month’s photo of Shazam’s Ruth Penfold.

Membership Department: Membership: 020 7009 2100, Customer Services: 020 7009 2100 Publishers: Redactive Publishing Ltd, 78 Chamber Street E1 8BL. Tel: 020 7880 6200. www.redactive.co.uk Editorial: Editor Michael Oliver michael.oliver@redactive.co.uk. Production Editor: Vanessa Townsend Production: Production Executive: Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6209 Printing: Printed by Precision Colour Printing © 2018 Recruitment Matters. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither REC, Redactive Publishing Ltd nor the authors can accept liability for errors or omissions. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the REC or Redactive Publishing Ltd. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts or transparencies. No reproduction in whole or part without written permission.

Tel: 020 7009 2100 www.rec.uk.com 8 RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2018

RM_FEB_18.indd 8

www.rec.uk.com

10/01/2018 15:53

2018

G U I D E TO R E CR U I T M E NT T ECH NOLOGY

GUIDE TO RECRUITMENT TECHNOLOGY 2018

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 31

p39_Tech_cover.indd 39

11/01/2018 12:10

GUIDE TO R ECR UITME N T TE C HN OLOGY

2018

AN EVENTFUL YEAR AHEAD Software developers tell us what we can expect from their products in the coming year and what technology-related trends will have the biggest impact

T

he General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is dominating the thoughts of many software developers, unsurprisingly, as they gear up their products to help the recruitment industry meet the demands of the new legislation when it comes into force in May this year.

Alongside this concern, other subjects that came up for discussion in Recruiter’s 2018 vox pop were data in general, artificial intelligence, smartphone apps and the cloud. And even though there is a plethora of technology available at recruiters’ fingertips, it seems they still need help when it comes to sourcing hard-to-find candidates.

While automation looks set to play a critical role in recruitment processes, even the techies admit recruitment remains a human business, and that the most successful application of technology will always be the one that frees up time and space for recruiters to optimise their people and face-toface skills.

With new products including what is described as “a private-label” version of LinkedIn, it looks like an interesting year ahead.

32 RECRUITER

FEBRUARY 2018

p40-45_Recruiter_February_TechGuide.indd 32

BY SUE WEEKES

ILLU STRATI O N | I STO C K

11/01/2018 16:23

2018

G U I D E TO R E CR U I T M E NT T ECH NOLOGY

“The GDPR is going to have a huge impact on the industry. Under the new rules, data controllers cannot use data processors that are not GDPR-compliant” jason starr

Jason Starr, CEO, Dillistone Group It’s all about GatedTalent. We are building a global, GDPR-compliant database of many of the world’s leading executives – essentially a private-label version of LinkedIn. We have executive search firms acting as launch partners in more than 20 countries so far – more than 40 firms in the UK alone have signed since late September – and these firms between them will be sending more than 1,000,000 invitations.

This time next year, we expect to have the largest private database of executive talent in the world – and executive recruiters will have exclusive access to it from within FileFinder Executive Search platform.

The GDPR is going to have a huge impact on the industry. Under the new rules, data controllers (recruitment firms) cannot use data processors (software companies) that are not GDPR-compliant. This is going to cause an unprecedented shake-up in the sector. Many software firms simply don’t have the resources to invest in making legacy systems compliant.

Recruiters will, in many cases, need to replace platforms and then go through a process of making legacy data-compliant – potentially a huge undertaking.

Amanda Davies, managing director, ISV 2018 will be an exciting year for candidate testing. ISV is launching new content early in the new year, including our latest MS Office range and, for the first time, candidate psychometric profiling so we can offer a full suite of people assessments. New features will be added to ISV Online making it more accessible wherever you are, ultimately enabling recruiters and resourcers to get to know their candidates better. We’re finding inhouse recruiters are getting savvy and using these tools almost as much as recruitment consultants in a bid to find the best talent.

There will be a lot of talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and how this is taking over our world of work, but there is still some way to go. 2018 will continue with skilled candidates being hard to find. Recruiters need to wise up to technology trends that help them connect with, and build loyalty through, their candidate pool. Use of WhatsApp and video-interviewing will increase. CRMs that support integration to this will do better than those who are blinkered.

Cyber security will continue as a hot topic in 2018. Technology suppliers need to balance their offering, ensuring it’s GDPR-compliant and cost-effective. We hope smart recruiters will sniff out those using scare tactics, or charging through the nose for promising compliance, and leave their products on the shelf.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 33

p40-45_Recruiter_February_TechGuide.indd 33

11/01/2018 12:11

GUIDE TO R ECR UITME N T TE C HN OLOGY

2018

Paul Thompson, sales director, Voyager Chris Bogh, co-founder and technical director, Eploy We have a major update to the Eploy cloud recruitment platform rolling out in January.

This includes new, simpler ways for our customers to visually create recruitment process and requisition workflows and manage their campaigns. We’re also ramping up with new candidate engagement tools and streamlining the journey for every stakeholder. We’ve also improved the way hiring managers can update, progress and provide feedback on their candidates and again, this is fully configurable based on each customer’s requirements.

With GDPR, there appears to be a mixture of panic, misinformation and ‘burying your head in the sand’ in the market at the moment. At Eploy, we see GDPR as a major opportunity for recruiters to build trust and improve engagement with their candidates and differentiate themselves from those who continue to misuse candidate personal data. Our customers have always benefited with Eploy Candidate Portals – providing a self-service way for candidates to manage their personal data that you store – and we are introducing more GDPR-specific tools to give customers even greater ways to ensure candidates can exercise their GDPR rights efficiently and securely.

34 RECRUITER

At Voyager we see an increased recruiter appetite for faster, more compliant and more honest recruitment processes in 2018. Via privately-branded agency phone apps, candidates, clients and recruiters will be able to communicate on a level playing field, with increased speed and GDPR compliance.

The best perm and temp talent is hard to find, so what better than to have a unique communication channel from the recruiter’s CRM to the candidates and clients they serve – facilitating quicker availability, booking confirmations, compliance, job onboarding, ‘chat’ and much more?

Voyager predicts ‘recruiting ninjas’ cutting through the admin normally associated with recruiting temps and managing the workforce.

It’s predicted that by 2020 up to 40% of workers will be independent contractors, so if you’re a temp recruiter that’s going to have a significant impact on you. The global shift has already happened, but this represents a huge window of opportunity for temp recruiters to embrace, rather than something to fear.

In sectors where temps are in high demand – such as nursing, care, driving, teaching – they’re already able to pick and choose who they work for and when via a plethora of direct-hire apps.

Voyager believes that recruiters need to engage with workers on a different playing field – the workers’ own – and join the gig economy.

FEBRUARY 2018

p40-45_Recruiter_February_TechGuide.indd 43

11/01/2018 12:46

REC.02.18.043.indd 43

09/01/2018 17:17

The most complete software solutions powering the world’s best staffing and recruitment firms.

Discover why

Expect exceptional.

As the leading technology provider and visionary for the staffing and recruiting industry, Erecruit is the chosen partner for thousands of successful firms around the world. We deliver the industry’s most comprehensive and innovative end-to-end staffing software solutions designed to empower people to achieve exceptional results.

Our portfolio includes Adapt (previously known as AdaptUX) recruitment software for fast-growing firms, and TempBuddy, multi award-winning temporary workforce management platform and worker app.

Bond FP.indd 1 REC.02.18.044.indd 44

09/01/2018 14:34 17:18

2018

G U I D E TO R E CR U I T M E NT T ECH NOLOGY

“Cloud technology continues to advance, with more and more people needing the most up-to-date technology at their fingertips” Paul Sangster

Paul Sangster, head of sales and marketing, Itris Itris 9 will be launched mid-2018, and is set to be our biggest advancement in recruitment technology to date. It is the next-generation recruitmentmanagement solution, taking a giant leap in consolidating all of the experience and feedback gained by industry experts over the past 20 years to produce a more powerful and flexible suite of recruitment products.

Cloud technology continues to advance, with more and more people needing the most up-to-date technology at their fingertips. With more and more companies being cyber security-conscious, how this data is stored and accessed will be vital for the years ahead.

Andrew Forster, divisional director, Access Group We’ve got an exciting year ahead, as we continue to invest in our technology to deliver value to our customers and improve the user’s experience. Our roadmap includes the new version of Access RDB, which enables customers to benefit from browser-based technology as well as remove the cost and headache of IT, data storage, hosting, back-up and security.

We’ll also launch our standalone flexible consent portal for recruiters, to support the impending GDPR regulations. In addition, our overarching plan is to provide one complete offering for any sized staffing agency, which begins at candidate attraction and goes right through to cash collection and reporting at the end of the back-office process.

GDPR will naturally impact how recruiters store and use candidate information. Data needs to continue to play a part in any business, to enable more informed decision-making. We also expect automation to play a more critical role. While the human side of recruiting isn’t going anywhere, for recruiters to succeed, they need to invest in tech that helps them become more efficient while optimising their performance – providing them with the freedom to focus on what’s important and spend more time with clients and candidates.

In today’s world, there’s a plethora of technology to choose from. They key is finding what works for your agency and its specific needs.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 37

p40-45_Recruiter_February_TechGuide.indd 45

11/01/2018 12:12

jane's test guide.indd 1

12/01/2018 08:11

2018

G U I D E TO R E CR U I T M E N T T E CH NOLOGY

DAXTRA TECHNOLOGIES NAME OF SYSTEM DaXtra Technologies INTEGRATES WITH Most of the ATS/CRMs in the market NUMBER OF USERS From the world’s largest staffing companies to boutique recruiters, corporate recruitment departments, job boards and software vendors PRICE Depends on number of users CONTACT DETAILS T 020 7801 6323 E uksales@daxtra.com W www.daxtra.com

DaXtra Technologies is a world leading specialist in high accuracy multilingual CV and job parsing, as well as semantic search, matching & aggregation technologies.

For the past 15 years, DaXtra has been at the forefront of innovative recruitment process automation solutions. We support clients globally via seven offices across Europe, USA, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Australia, supporting 1,500 loyal clients who collectively process in excess of 60 million CVs each month. With nearly 400 ATS/CRM integrations available out of the box and the ability to parse documents in 33 languages, DaXtra has become a software of choice for many multinational organisations, job boards, software vendors and the best niche recruitment firms alike.

ENGAGE NAME OF SYSTEM Engage INTEGRATES WITH Your existing ATS, CRM and accounting software NUMBER OF USERS Unlimited OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud-based SaaS CONTACT DETAILS Drey Francis, commercial director T 020 8068 2900 E drey.francis@engagetech.com

Engage is a unique SaaS platform providing a suite of applications from simple outsource payroll processing to a full back office solution. It also offers a vendor management system that is free for end-hirers. The Engage platform is used by agencies of all sizes.

Most solutions facilitate one part of the process for only one type of user. Engage is a simple to use, holistic solution that coordinates end-hirers, recruitment agencies, payroll companies and workers. Its back office solution provides registration, compliance, time & attendance, pay & bill. This frees up the agency to focus on business development. Traditional back office solutions involve significant capex investment and IT integration and may not integrate with applications used by end-hirers or other roster agencies on the PSL. Engage requires no set-up costs or licence fees. It replaces manual finance, payroll and compliance processes with a seamless software function. Timesheet management, compliance documentation, credit control and management reporting are also included.

Engage’s neutral VMS offers significant advantages over the conventional master vendor structure which suffers from communication & contractual barriers, poor candidate supply and reduced agency margin. With Engage, users enjoy universal cost savings, no controlling vendor, direct contractual relationships and transparent compliance.

E RE C RU I T NAME OF SYSTEM Adapt and TempBuddy INTEGRATES WITH Selected world-class software extensions that help you excel at putting people to work OPERATING PLATFORM Platform independent CONTACT DETAILS James Payne T 01903 707070 E adapt@erecruit.com W www.erecruit.com

A technology provider and visionary for the staffing and recruiting industry, Erecruit is the chosen partner for thousands of successful firms around the world. We deliver the most comprehensive and innovative end-to-end staffing software solutions, designed to empower people to achieve exceptional results. Our portfolio includes Adapt (previously known as Bond AdaptUX) recruitment software for fast-growing firms, and TempBuddy, a multi award-winning temporary workforce management platform. ● Adapt Provides the ultimate user experience to maximise business performance, helping you make more placements and manage the entire recruitment cycle. The SaaS technology brings together a powerful CRM for sales management, searching, sourcing, reporting and business intelligence within a dynamic web-based hub. With Adapt you can manage all perm, temp and contract recruitment processes via intuitive dashboards and workflows. ● TempBuddy Enables staffing companies to get their best workers to the right place at the right time, paid promptly and accurately using intuitive mobile technology. We make temp work easier and more rewarding for workers, employers and agency staff. Our revolutionary platform and app simplifies the entire temp recruitment process by integrating real-time availability, scheduling, deployment, time capture, pay and bill and compliance. Automate processes to improve your efficiency, or deliver an on-demand human cloud service.

Erecruit’s customers consistently succeed because our software delivers meaningful outcomes. We look forward to showing how we can give you competitive advantage.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 39

GUIDE TO R ECR UITME N T TE C HN OLOGY

2018

F I R E F I S H NAME OF SYSTEM Firefish INTEGRATES WITH Website, social media, job boards, email OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud-based PRICE From £54 per user/month when billed annually CONTACT DETAILS T 0141 648 8520 E info@firefishsoftware.com W: www.firefishsoftware.com Twitter: @firefishnow

Firefish Software is a sales and marketing platform that helps recruiters reach, engage and recruit top candidates before their competitors.

The average recruiter spends thousands per month to attract candidates, only to put them in a database to be left. In fact, on average only 25% of candidates in a recruiter’s database has been updated in the last two years and unless there is an army of recruiters annoying candidates every day this is impossible to increase.

Within six months of using Firefish, agencies can have 85% of their database active and engaged. This in turn creates 25% more placement opportunities that were hidden in your dead data.

Get in touch to arrange a swim around the system today.

G E L NAME OF SYSTEM GEL Front Office GEL Back Office GEL All-In-One INTEGRATES WITH All-In-One System build in OPERATING PLATFORM Microsoft Windows and SQL Server PRICE From £50/month CONTACT DETAILS Luis Silva T 08448 794 889 E sales@gelsolutions.co.uk W www.gelsolutions.co.uk

GEL is a leading edge software provider to the recruitment industry. With front office, back office and complete all-in-one solutions, GEL provides a powerful SQL server-based system for agencies of all sizes managing permanent, contract and temporary recruitment. Our easy-to-use tools automate the processing of CVs, candidate registration, availability, diary, placements, timesheets, client invoicing and paying the workforce. You take control of your data, managing staff and configuring the system to suit your team needs.

We also offer pay-as-you-go options for start-up agencies and those looking to minimise the initial costs. We deliver the very latest tools and with only a small, ongoing monthly cost from £50 per month.

Whether you are changing your software or enhancing the way you work, call on 08448 794889. We can offer you the best advice, support and organise a remote demonstration for you to see for yourself.

G E M S NAME OF SYSTEM GEMS NUMBER OF USERS Unlimited OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud-based system CONTACT DETAILS T 01594 888518 E sales@simplicityinbusiness.com W www.simplicityinbusiness.com/services/gems

40 RECRUITER

GEMS is a FREE end-to-end recruitment CRM and workflow solution, developed by Simplicity.

The GEMS technology makes your recruitment business more efficient by combining your front and back office systems into one seamless process. The system will save you time and reduce your costs by taking away the hassle of using a standalone CRM and multiple systems to run your recruitment business.

• Manage clients & candidates • Create job bookings • Process online or paper timesheets & payroll • No need to worry about HMRC, AWR & compliance • GEMS takes care of invoicing clients • 24/7 access to reporting & management information • Plus many more features From CRM to payroll, right through to invoicing and reporting, GEMS provides recruitment businesses with the complete technology solution. And best of all, it’s completely FREE to Simplicity partners.

• FREE Recruitment CRM & workflow technology • Temporary/contractor & permanent placement configuration • Available with our finance or back office solutions • Customise GEMS to your company brand • Cloud-based system GEMS is packed with even more recruitment specific tools and features that will enable you to cut back on admin and focus on growing your business.

Speak to us about GEMS today and discover even more about how this unique technology can help your recruitment business become more efficient, save you time and reduce your costs.

FEBRUARY 2018

p47-51_recruiter_Tech_profilesNEW NEW.indd 48

18/01/2018 17:26

REC.02.18.049.indd 49

09/01/2018 17:20

GUIDE TO R ECR UITME N T TE C HN OLOGY

2018

I T E C NAME OF SYSTEM Itris INTEGRATES WITH Microsoft Office, accounting & payroll software, multi-job posting services, CV parsing services, websites, social media, SMS providers OPERATING PLATFORM Windows PRICE POA CONTACT DETAILS T 01892 825 820 E sales@itris.co.uk W www.itris.co.uk

Itris recruitment software supplies recruitment consultancies of all sizes with the optimum tools and functionality to manage their businesses and confidently plan future success. Fully configurable to clients’ specific requirements, Itris has built a reputation for enhancing business growth and profitability throughout the UK. Itris constantly updates and adds to the system making sure it is in tune with what the market demands.

Off the shelf, itris contains all the functionality needed regardless of the type of recruitment or sector. itris offers as standard the ability to tailor the setup and functionality within a system, which is key for most businesses. The ability to create unique fields and templates while automating key business processes gives users a huge advantage over most platforms.

Itec has been developing and supporting Itris since 1998.

M I C RO D E C NAME OF SYSTEM Profile ePM & Profile RPM NUMBER OF USERS Single start-ups, SME & global companies INTEGRATES WITH Merit, Tempest, InTime,Tempaid OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud or on-premise PRICE Dependent on requirements CONTACT DETAILS Sales Team T 01277 227778 E sales@microdec-profile.com www.microdec.com

Easy-to-use yet fully functional in its unique design, allowing each consultant to concentrate on effective recruiting, saving time, money and providing rapid return on investment.

Easy-to-use with SMARTmenus & SMARTfeeds thus avoiding confusion, reducing internal training and support overheads.

Unique user interface design and workflows can be configured to suit your business and hide unwanted fields, menus and tabs for greater user buy-in. MI & KPI monitoring, drives users to their targets and provides management with full activity views.

Permanent, temporary, contract, executive search and specialist shift & volume recruitment workflows all available within the same application.

S OU RC E B R E AKE R NAME OF SYSTEM SourceBreaker INTEGRATES WITH Your existing CRM and CV databases OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud-based NUMBER OF USERS Enterprise CONTACT DETAILS T: 020 3794 8120 E info@sourcebreaker.com

42 RECRUITER

SourceBreaker is an award winning online end-to-end search platform that finds recruiters more of the best candidates, matches them to multiple live vacancies from start-ups, SMEs and multi-nationals, providing multiple opportunities to place every candidate found.

SourceBreaker uses a combination of machine learning and the expertise of top billing ex-recruiters to search across your CRM, CV databases, LinkedIn and social media, saving each recruiter 1-2 hours per day that can be reinvested in building relationships and engaging with clients and candidates.

FEBRUARY 2018

p47-51_recruiter_Tech_profiles.indd 50

11/01/2018 12:19

2018

G U I D E TO R E CR U I T M E NT T ECH NOLOGY

TEXTKERNEL NAME OF SYSTEM Textkernel – Machine Intelligence for People and Jobs INTEGRATES WITH Your existing ATS, CRM or home-built software system and your mobile career site OPERATING PLATFORM Cloud-based or on-premise CONTACT DETAILS T +31 20 494 2496 E demo@textkernel.com W www.textkernel.com

Machine intelligence for matching people and jobs Textkernel develops intelligent software to help accelerate and improve the process of matching supply and demand on the job market. It offers the highest quality multilingual CV parsing and semantic search tools as well as solutions for sourcing, lead generation, matching and labour market statistics, which can be integrated into your existing systems.

The company was founded in 2001 as a private, commercial R&D spin-off of research in natural language processing and machine learning at the University of Tilburg, Antwerp and Amsterdam. Textkernel now operates as the international leader in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and semantic technology for matching people and jobs.

Find talent in your growing database Textkernel’s multilingual CV parser, combined with its Apply-with widget, offers candidates a mobile friendly, one-click application process and helps you to automatically build a high quality talent database. Textkernel’s semantic search, sourcing and matching tools will help you to instantly identify top talent within your existing databases and on external sources.

The result: fill jobs faster Textkernel’s technology allows you to offer a candidate-friendly application process and increase the conversion rate on applications. By saving time on processing profiles and finding the best candidates in multiple databases, you are able to fill jobs faster

VOYAG E R NAME OF SYSTEM Voyager Infinity, Voyager VDQ! and Voyager Mid-Office INTEGRATES WITH Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange, Broadbean (2way), Jobposting, SMS, Synety, Touchscreen and various third-party applications including back-office providers OPERATING PLATFORM Deployed in various ways, on-premise and online PRICE Depends on the deployment. You can rent Voyager with a low-cost setup and low monthly fee or purchase the licence with a great value annual support and maintenance contract CONTACT DETAILS T 0800 008 6262 E sales@voyagersoftware.com W www.voyagersoftware.com

Voyager Software is one of the most established recruitment software brands in the market today, delivering and supporting a range of recruitment software solutions to thousands of users globally.

As standard we offer an 0800 support line, free account managers, free online training clinics and free licence upgrades, so you are assured of a good service from start-up to superpower!

Voyager’s solution can be rented, purchased or deployed on the cloud. And with a product, pricing model and deployment type to suit every recruiter, we suggest you contact us for an overview on our services.

Voyager has four core recruitment solutions: Infinity, VDQ!, Mid-Office and Mid-Office Bureau.

Z E E L SO LU T IO NS NAME OF SYSTEM Zrecruiter, Ztimeex, Zpayplus, Zattend, Ztravelplus NUMBER OF USERS Unlimited INTEGRATES WITH Payroll, front office, financials, time & attendance, job boards, career portals etc OPERATING PLATFORM SQL, Web-Based Platform CONTACT DETAILS Sales Team T 0845 31 31 311 E sales@zeelsolutions.com W zeelsolutions.com

Zeel Solutions provides intuitive software to the recruitment and HR industry. We aim to deliver simple, effective solutions to take the strain and increase your operational effectiveness, providing you with tailored integration and significant cost savings in a highly competitive industry. is a true end-to-end recruitment process management solution. Specifically developed for corporate RPO, HR & healthcare markets offering RPO, vendor management services (VMS), talent management, onsite managed services and contingent workforce. Combines VMS with ATS in one solution to manage both direct hires and contingent workforce. is a complete electronic timesheet solution. It not only provides an automated method for managing the timesheet to payroll process with approval of hours or days and costs, it offers the capability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems. It allows clients to submit and approve hours, costs and workers to self-certify expenses and helps ensure compliance. is an innovative web-based pay & bill solution ultimately providing a complete back office functionality. This rapid, innovative web-based (on premise) pay and bill solution gives simple processing, ease of accessibility and continuous visibility. It provides real-time information (RTI) and pensions auto enrolment, adding true value to the payroll process. is a complete, certified, real-time, workforce time & attendance solution. Zattend provides instant workforce planning, visibility and control within a fully integrated solution. enables both recruitment agencies and umbrella companies the ability to offer travel & subsistence (T&S) directly to their temporary employees, while remaining compliant. Complex calculations and HMRC-regulated compliance checks are completed within minutes.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 43

p47-51_recruiter_Tech_profilesNEW.indd 51

11/01/2018 15:17

Driving your success

by Microdec

WƌŽĮ ůĞ ŝƐ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŽŶ ƚĂďůĞƚ ĚĞǀŝĐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽƵĐŚ ƐĐƌĞĞŶƐ ƐŽ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƐƚĂLJ ŝŶ ƚŽƵĐŚ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ ǁŚĞƌĞǀĞƌ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ͘ With more than 30 years’ experience of helping our clients grow, ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ WƌŽĮ ůĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĂĐƟ ǀĞůLJ ĂƐƐŝƐƚ LJŽƵƌ ǁŽƌŬŇ Žǁ processes, ensuring consistency in your teams and maximising ƚŚĞ Ğī ĞĐƟ ǀĞŶĞƐƐ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƐƚĂī ͘ RI Supplier Awards 2017

Winner Best Recruitment CRM

t/EE Z͊

Z Zh/dD Ed /Ed ZE d/KE > ^d Z Zh/dD Ed ZD ϮϬϭϳ

Đ ŀ ł Ń Ń ƉƊƋƐƐ ƋƋƐƐƐƑ

REC.02.18.052.indd 52

09/01/2018 17:21

CO M M U N I T Y

SOCIAL NETWORK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? GET IN TOUCH!

E

As the cold, dark days draw to a close, recruiters have been finding their own ways of brightening up winter…

SWANSTAFF RECRUITMENT TEAMS WARM UP WINTER VIA Swanstaff Recruitment teams across the UK delivered gifts and gave their time to various local causes as part of the recruiter’s Bundles of Joy winter appeal. Some of the causes included care homes, which saw the Swanstaff teams creating personalised bundles for residents without any family or who did not often get visitors. They dropped off the bundles and spent time with the residents where possible.

Teams gave out over 120 bundles to the elderly, homeless, premature babies and other worthy causes

£20K IS THE AMOUNT PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE 20:20 AIMS TO RAISE

20 YEARS AND 20 CHARITIES VIA

TW I TT E R

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, recruitment group Passionate About People is aiming to make 20 donations to 20 charitable organisations within Gloucestershire throughout 2018. The group, which is made up of Omega Resource Group, Datum RPO, Omega Engineering Services and Omega Resource Group WLL, is hoping to raise around £1k per charity, totalling £20k. Best of luck, PAP!

NONSTOP OFFICIALLY OPENS NEW OFFICE AREA IN PRAGUE VIA Josef Klimes, head of facilities and procurement at NonStop Recruitment, cuts the red ribbon to officially open the fourth extension of the Prague office. Watched over by managing director Oliver Donoghue, the ‘formal’ ceremony was accompanied by obligatory celebratory prosecco for the NonStop team.

p53_recruiter_social.indd 53

@RecruiterMag Jan 4 As well as wishing everyone in #Recruiterland a Happy New Year and a healthy and prosperous 2018, don’t forget to get in touch with us about your #recruitment news – and your plans for this year! recruiter.editorial@recruiter.co.uk @RecruiterMag instagram.com/recruitermagazine/ recruitermagazine.tumblr.com/

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 45

11/01/2018 12:19

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

The Workplace

BY GUY HAYWARD

46 RECRUITER

talent, an enemy of the modern workplace.

I love the approach from Boston Consulting Group, which provides every possible tool for its people to be the best professional they can be. The assessment programme provides detailed understanding of its people’s strengths and why they have them. With this knowledge it then offers every tool imaginable so the company can realise their potential – career planning workshops, mentoring programmes and career ambition discussions – from a junior new starter right through to senior management.

Our people want this: 87% of millennials want constant development and a clear understanding as to where their career can go and how to get there, according to a recent Harvard survey.

We have a way to go, but I like the trend of seeing businesses building Emerging Leaders programmes. Recruiter Spencer Ogden does that very well.

Any young manager needs to develop leadership skills early in their careers by understanding different personality types and different types of management style. This helps with knowing the art of managing managers.

We have just started using Strengthscope, a tool that assesses personality and core strengths so we can design personalised development plans. I would recommend it.

“Road mapping people’s careers is the modern approach to learning & development” Recognising the need to invest in career planning, Harrods annually dedicates a whole week for a conference on personnel development and understanding the steps needed to progress your career. An impressive commitment.

It’s a strange thing to say but at some point everyone at Goodman Masson is going to leave me. However, I would like to think they will look back and think their time with us has been a chapter of their career where they have evolved professionally.

More and more of our people need to understand where their future is and

↗

I OFTEN HEAR THAT PEOPLE are joining a new business because in their old world they found a lack of interest and support in how they could reach their ambitions.

No career road mapping, no direction given in what they needed to do to progress, no real knowledge and assessment of their strengths, and little investment – or even interest – from management to show they cared about their destination and career.

Onboarding is a huge subject, worthy of discussion in its own right, and plays an important role in setting someone up for success.

Business-to-business hosting company UKFast takes onboarding to a whole new exciting extreme, with every new starter climbing Mount Snowdon.

But knowing from the day you join a company you will be working in an environment where you can become the best version of yourself and fulfil your ambitions is invaluable in someone connecting with your business.

How often do we sit down and map out someone’s career? From what I hear not nearly enough… so how then can we possibly improve people’s strengths, an approach that is often overlooked in favour of closing people’s skill gaps – an outdated way of developing

GUY HAYWARD – redefining the modern workplace CEO, Goodman Masson

how to get there. Road mapping people’s careers is the modern approach to L&D (learning & development) – essential management and recruitment skills, yes, but managing our people’s careers is more important than ever.

If we don’t offer this, our people will seek it elsewhere. ●

FEBRUARY 2018

p54 Recruiter_FEB18_Workplace.indd 54

11/01/2018 12:24

CO M M U N I T Y

CAREERS

E

Find your next move in recruitment on jobs.recruiter. co.uk

Preparing for a perfect recruiting storm

BY ANDREW MOUNTNEY

↗ ANDREW MOUNTNEY is founding partner at in-house recruitment specialist Aspen In-House.

THE RUN-UP TO THE END OF 2017 WAS MARKED WITH A NUMBER OF CHALLENGING CONDITIONS AFFECTING THE INHOUSE RECRUITMENT MARKET. Hiring freezes, headcount plans for 2018 being consistently deferred and in many cases not signed off, cost neutral or budget reductions expected for many, below expectation pay settlements, and a swathe of contractors being finished up early in recruiting roles accompanied by a handful of redundancies.

Grim times That said, we’ve seen it all before and there’s one thing we know: recruitment teams are running lean and operating to capacity. As organisations start to turn on the taps, what should we prepare for based on what we have seen before, and how will it impact you as a recruiting professional?

Delivery first As those headcount plans get released you do not get more time to deliver them

“The recruiter who can shape and manage stakeholder relations will always be highly valued” just because they are deferred.

There will be a rush on transactional roles. Recruiters and sourcers focused on filling the pipeline will get the first hint of activity and typically at the more junior end.

Availability rules and undermines value If you’re looking for progression and your own development to be put first, you’ll want to wait a while to make your move; better still you’ll find it with your current employer. As transactional hiring continues to rule, those who can start immediately and focus on delivering requirements will be the first on call.

All is not lost As this period washes through and teams settle down, we’re expecting a sharp focus on business partnering and stakeholder management to return in Q2. The challenge of a competitive market for

I M AG E | I STO C K

p55 Recruiter_FEB18_Careers_PerfectStorm.indd 55

technical, sales and marketing talent will continue the trend of businesses struggling with long-open requirements and hiring plans falling behind. The recruiter who can shape and manage stakeholder relations, share data and present credible solutions will always be highly valued. If that’s your sweet spot, keep an eye on the usual channels – there will be some challenging but fascinating opportunities to consider, particularly in the larger firms.

Smaller firms will continue to develop portfolio recruiter careers Building on a trend from the last two years, we’re expecting to see a continued focus from companies as small as 20 people wanting to have an internal resource. This has driven the growth of some newer recruitment process outsourcing organisations (RPOs) and consultancies focused on the start-up world.

It’s also created a credible market for those seeking flexibility and to work as an in-house recruiter for more than one business. This comes with risk, of course – minimal commitment from either party, short notice periods, self-employment and day rates – but for many, this is a great way to build a blended and flexible portfolio.

Let’s see how it all pans out but expect a lot of change and challenges. What’s new? ●

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 47

11/01/2018 12:25

E BUSINESS ADVICE CO MM UNITY

ASK THE EXPERT Q: Our billings yo-yo’d last year. How do I get ahead of target and stay there?

Your feast-and-famine cycle is common in recruitment. It is also a bigger problem than many realise – it slows growth. Unpredictable cashflow results in hiring delays. That inefficiency equates to lost revenue, as the longer it is before a new hire comes on board, the longer it is before they start generating fees.

Alex Arnot The SME Coach

Foundations for steady billing

48 RECRUITER

Help consultants maximise their potential Simply dictating targets to consultants is hit and miss – some will take them on board while others will ignore them. Recruitment companies that work with their consultants to set targets and discuss any barriers that are holding individuals back from further improving their potential often find that the consultants become far more ambitious about what they can achieve.

Business development is critical Most sectors in recruitment are candidate-led at the moment. As a result, consultants may take their eye off business development activity – many consider generating clients to be the hardest part of their job, and are only too glad to put business development on the back burner. In a market where candidates are in short supply. It is often easier to find clients who fit the candidate’s skillset than the other way round.

The larger your portfolio of clients, the broader the range of skills you will be able to place, and so the wider the pool of talent you will be able to service – you are maximising the pool of candidates you can select from and the number you are likely to place. Spreading your risk between clients will result in more consistent revenues.

↗

The first step to consistent growth is setting a revenue target. Without doing this, there is no accountability and billings will continue to yo-yo.

While most recruitment firms have monthly revenue targets, targets alone are not enough. To maximise your chances of hitting your target, break it down into bite-sized chunks: ‘Indicator’ targets: certain statistics are generally effective predictors of revenue – the best ratios tend to be the number of new jobs on and candidate interviews at clients. To calculate your ratios, use the data on your CRM from the past 12 months – such as total revenue divided by number of jobs briefed on and then filled, and then jobs filled divided by number of interviews. Given the ratios will probably be broadly the same this year, you can now predict the number of jobs on and candidates at interview you will need to achieve this year to hit your target revenue. Use these as indicators.

Yearly targets into monthly targets: break the revenue and indicator targets into quarterly and then monthly targets, so you can easily track your performance against them. Remember indicator targets are predictive, so the number of jobs on now will likely indicate fees in a future month.

Monthly targets into individual targets: accountability underpins delivery, so allocate targets – revenue and indicator – to teams and then break those down into individual targets to maximise your chances of success.

Targets matter only if people are held accountable. That means reviewing performance at a company, team and individual level regularly, and swiftly addressing any issues.

ALEX ARNOT is founder of MyNonExec and board adviser to more than 30 recruitment companies

FEBRUARY 2018

p56_recruiter_careers ASK EXPERT.indd 56

11/01/2018 12:25

WE’VE GOT A LOT TO SHOUT ABOUT...

ED US

USE US ONLY WHEN YOU NE

INDUSTRY CHANGING SOLU

TIONS

NO PERSONAL GUARANTEES REQUIRED

UNDING

RISK FREE F

NO DEBENTURES

ACTS

IN CONTR K C O L O N

R ANNUAL FEES O LY H T N O M O N

NO SET U

P COST

FAST EA

SY SETUP

RISK FREE FUNDING FOR CONTRACTORS & TEMPORARY WORKERS

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDE NOW! www.boomerangfunding.co.uk/startupguide

To find out how to grow your business with risk free funding, call us now on 01242 279890 CONNECT WITH US BoomerangFundin BoomerangFunding Boomerang Funding

www.boomerangfunding.co.uk

REC.02.18.057.indd 57

09/01/2018 17:22

REC.02.18.058-059.indd 58

09/01/2018 17:23

REC.02.18.058-059.indd 59

09/01/2018 17:23

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

“I worked on a dive boat and they ey said ‘do you fancy trying out recruitment?’ nt?’ So I just fell right into the industry” y” MY BRILLIANT RECRUITMENT CAREER What was your earliest dream job?

↗

Working on a scuba diving boat.

LUCY EDGAR, Lucy Edgar, head of interim, iMultiply

What was your first job in recruitment and how did you come into it?

With Hays Accountancy Personnel, as they were called back then. I came back from travelling and was unemployed, and did a temporary job with them in Stirling. I wandered into Hays, told them what I had done when I had been travelling – such as working on a cattle station and working on a dive boat – and they said ‘do you fancy trying out recruitment?’

So I just fell right into the industry.

Who is your role model – in life or in recruitment?

Cyclist Mark Beaumont, who holds the record for getting round the world on a bike, because of the way he achieves his goals.

What do you love most about your current role?

When I have managed to exceed expectations… with the quality of the candidate and speed of response to the clients or if someone comes to see me 52 RECRUITER

p60 mybrillcareer.indd 60

FEBRUARY 2018

Lucy Edgar that’s just been made redundant and I get them another role very quickly.

a pound in when they swore because he didn’t agree with all the swearing at the company. I was mortified.

What’s your top job to fill at the moment?

What is your signature dish?

A change accountant for a distillery.

Beef stew.

What would you consider to be the most brilliant moment of your career?

What’s the best or worst interview question you’ve ever heard?

When I hit £500k in a year in 2009 because not many people do that. I was really pleased with myself when this whole finance team of qualified accountants had been made redundant from one of the banks and I placed every single one of them.

Best – what keeps you awake at night with your current role? That’s because it shows a candidate’s values so you can read quite a lot into that.

Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why?

What would you regard as your theme tune?

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by The Beatles.

Cry – I placed a candidate with a real rough and ready factory environment and within the first hour of him being there he introduced a swear tin for everyone to put

IMAGES | SHUTTERSTOCK / PAUL BOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

11/01/2018 12:26

IF STARTING IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE...

YOU’VE JUST FOUND THE ANSWER!

Now there is nothing to stop you!

RECRUITERS WHO WANT TO START THEIR OWN AGENCY.!

Your own success can be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of you starting your own recruitment business and ever reaching your full potential.

High performing recruitment consultants often wish to go it alone but are stumped by the prospect of potentially giving-up a salary and the expense of setting up a business alone...

BEGIN TO BEGIN...

WITH RECRUIT VENTURES

The #1 comment from Joint Venture business owners is “ I Should have done this years ago! “ With full backing, an income and no personal outlay there is now nothing to stop you building your own agency and reap the rewards of your full potential.

A YEAR

FROM NOW

YOU WILL WISH

YOU HAD STARTED

TO DAY

For more information visit

www.recruitventures.com REC.02.18.061.indd 61 1 Recruit Ventures FP.indd

09/01/2018 16:42 17:24 31/10/2017

E RECRUITMENT WWW. RE CRUITE R .CO.UK

View the latest jobs at jobs.recruiter.co.uk To place your advertisement E: recruiterjobs@redactive.co.uk or T: 020 7880 6215

Recruiter Jobs helping you to attract the best candidates for your vacancies.

Contact our sales team recruiterjobs@redactive.co.uk +44 (0)20 7880 6215

Recruiter Jobs is the online recruitment site for Recruiter magazine, the principal magazine for recruiting and resourcing professionals. You can search through a wide range of roles; from recruitment consultants to in-house recruitment, based in both the UK and International markets.

54 RECRUITER

Recruiter Feb18 recr.indd 54

FEBRUARY 2018

11/01/2018 10:27

Recruite

View the latest jobs at jobs.recruiter.co.uk To place your advertisement E: recruiterjobs@redactive.co.uk or T: 020 7880 6215

W W W. R E C RU I T E R .CO.U K

RECRUITMENT

E

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 55

Feb18 recr.indd Recruiter Republic FP.indd 55 1

11/01/2018 16:28 10:27 10/01/2018

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

DAWN FOOD PRODUCTS

CABURN HOPE The communications and marketing consultancy has appointed Steve Sykes as director of business development

CAPITA Vic Gysin has stepped down from the board of the business outsourcing process provider.

CORECOM CONSULTING The Leeds-headquartered IT recruiter has appointed Gemma Robinson as operations director.

56 RECRUITER

FEBRUARY 2018

P64-65 Movers and shakersNEW.indd 56

US bakery manufacturer and ingredients supplier Dawn Food Products welcomes Stevens Sainte-Rose as its chief HR & transformation officer, effective immediately.

Sainte-Rose joins Dawn’s global leadership team and reports directly to CEOs Carrie Jones-Barber and Serhat Unsal.

GLASSDOOR The job and recruiting site welcomes John Lamphiere as vice president and managing director for the EMEA region.

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES Stephen Beard, executive vice president – general counsel and chief administrative officer (CAO), has chosen to leave the global executive search firm to pursue other opportunities. The firm’s CAO role will be eliminated, while Kamau Coar, vice president – associate general counsel, has been promoted to general counsel, responsible for the firm’s legal and regulatory matters globally.

KNOWIT

Yorkshire Building Society Group has appointed Susana Berlevy as chief people officer, subject to regulatory approval.

Originally from Spain, Berlevy has more than 20 years’ experience in HR, having held senior positions at a number of financial services organisations, including Lloyds, HSBC, RBS and Hiscox.

She began her career at Spanish oil company CAMPSA, before continuing her career in the UK at organisations including BP, Iberia Airlines and The British Standards Institute.

Berlevy will join Yorkshire Building Society in the second quarter of 2018.

Welcoming Berlevy to the organisation, Mike Regnier, Yorkshire Building Society’s CEO, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Susana as our newly appointed chief people officer.

“As an HR expert with an understanding of the importance of mutual values, her strategic leadership skills, extensive capabilities and experience make her an excellent candidate for this important role. I have every confidence she will help the Society continue to nurture a positive and supportive working environment for all colleagues.”

Berlevy added: “People are the most important resource in any organisation. Yorkshire Building Society has a strong team of experienced and talented colleagues who continue to drive the group’s success as it focuses on helping people to access financial services. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and helping the Society build on its achievements as a great place to work.”

Charlie Walker, founder

Email people moves for use online and in print, including a short

11/01/2018 17:26

and managing director of Vivid Resourcing and current owner and MD of accountancy & finance recruiter Harmonic Group, has joined the board of the product and technology recruiter.

pair joined the business as trainees in back 2014.

CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 (0)20 7880 7606 Editor DeeDee Doke deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk

MOREPEOPLE Andrew Fitzmaurice has been appointed managing director at the food recruitment specialist.

NAKAMA GROUP The digital, IT and business change recruiter welcomes Andrea Williams as a nonexecutive director.

OUTSOURCE UK Nick Dettmar succeeded Paul Jameson as CEO of the IT & technical staffing specialist.

The announcement comes following Jameson’s decision to take a step back from frontline duties.

STAFFGROUP The parent company of international specialist recruiters Eurostaff and Earthstaff (part of the Cordant Group) has appointed Ildiko Elter as its global CFO, based at its Berlin headquarters.

THE TREASURY RECRUITMENT COMPANY The treasury staffing specialist welcomes Craig Martin as director of its US treasury recruitment practice.

PEARSON The global learning company has appointed Anna Vikström Persson as its new chief HR officer. She joins the company on 1 February.

YOUR NEXT MOVE A selection of vacancies from recruiter.co.uk Recruitment & Employment Confederation Chief executive London £substantial six-figure package Quanta In-house recruiter HR, rec-to-rec Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire £20k-£30k + bens

RUTHERFORD BRIANT RECRUITMENT The multi-sector recruiter has promoted Josh Wells and Robyn Wells to managers of its public practice and legal division respectively. The

Quanta Recruitment consultant Life sciences/pharma Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING +44 (0)20 7880 6215 Recruitment sales executive Joshua Kindler

Reporters Colin Cottell, Graham Simons

joshua.kindler@redactive.co.uk

colin.cottell@recruiter.co.uk graham.simons@recruiter.co.uk

PRODUCTION +44 (0)20 7880 6209 Production executive Rachel Young

Contributing writer Sue Weekes Production editor Vanessa Townsend vanessa.townsend@recruiter.co.uk

Designers Craig Bowyer, Will Williams Picture editor Akin Falope

rachel.young@redactive.co.uk

PUBLISHING +44 (0)20 7880 8547 Publishing director Aaron Nicholls aaron.nicholls@redactive.co.uk

ADVERTISING +44 (0)20 7880 6213 Sales manager Paul Barron paul.barron@redactive.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7324 2762 Senior sales executive Will Hunter

RECRUITER AWARDS/ INVESTING IN TALENT AWARDS +44 (0)20 7324 2771 Events eventsteam@redactive.co.uk

william.hunter@redactive.co.uk

CIRCULATION and SUBSCRIPTIONS Recruiter is the leading magazine for recruitment and resourcing professionals. To ensure each issue of Recruiter magazine is delivered to your desk or door, subscribe now at https://subs. recruiter.co.uk/subscribe. Annual subscription rate for 12 issues: £35 UK; £45 Europe and £50 Rest of the world • Recruiter is also available to people who meet our terms of control: http://bit. ly/RecruiterCC • To purchase reprints or multiple copies, or any other enquiries, please contact mysidekick@recruiter.co.uk or +44 (0)20 8950 9117 CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions are invited, but when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and addressed envelope. Articles should be emailed. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during delivery, transmission or in the editor’s hands. © 2018 Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. This publication (and any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet) or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of Redactive Media Group.

Redactive Media Group accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. The publishers cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non-publication of any advertisement for any reason whatsoever. ISSN 1475-7478

Total average net circulation between 1 July 2014 & 30 June 2015 – 18,667. is also sent to all REC members

For more jobs, people moves and career advice go to ● recruiter.co.uk/jobs ● inhouserecruiterjobs.co.uk ● internationalrecruiterjobs.com

biography, to recruiter.editorial@redactive.co.uk

P64-65 Movers and shakers.indd 57

Redactive Publishing Ltd 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL 020 7880 6200

Scan here to get your own copy of

11/01/2018 12:58

E THE LAST WORD CO M M UNITY

Gregory Allen A fresh look at brand

Recently I was lucky enough to host a table discussion on storytelling and brand. It was an interesting evening, with some keen and stimulating participation from a broad background of companies.

The focus was on where social media for recruitment sat within organisations, and who would own this.

There was a broad church in answering this question. In my own experience, when I first joined my current company, I wrote a business case to create a position within the recruitment team to own our social space.

Our first step was to design our ‘front window’. That step is to determine whom we wanted to attract and how we would do that. We designed a modern career portal to evangelise what it was like to work for Lloyd’s Register (LR) externally.

At the same time we developed a message matrix, which crossed tribes and locations across LR. These messages resonated with our employees, in terms of ‘why join, why stay’. They also then supported the channel to market and helped us design attractive role profiles, which

58 RECRUITER

p66_recruiter_lastword.indd 66

FEBRUARY 2018

spoke to the relevant tribe in the relevant region. We tested this approach using LinkedIn, which helped us map our assumptions as to where the talent was.

As we have matured, our initial phase of design, around product, has now moved into how we penetrate our market. For this step, we have brought on Robbie Palmer, a young video blogger, who has taken LR into a broader digital space. In the past year he has developed talent from across LR through our brand advocacy programme – showing and telling people what our people in LR have been doing in our communities and in our lives, as LR employees.

We are now working on developing a brand refresh.

One of the first ports of call from the new brand guidelines was how we deploy it across our people strategy and, most of all, how we use it to attract talent in our digital assets.

There was a time when marketing looked at its HR agenda as a lower priority.

In today’s market, how we speak to candidates is unquestionably important.

Talent will become customers, have an opinion, connect to viral properties and have greater impact on a brand more than a product fail – with 80% of CEOs acknowledging they will not be able to deliver to their strategic objectives as they don’t have the right talent.

How we interact with talent will weigh in on whether there is a company or not.

Across the table at the discussion I chaired, the social media agenda was held in various departments, with the ability to influence flexing

We developed a message matrix, which crossed tribes and locations across LR

GREGORY ALLEN is head of global resourcing at Lloyd’s Register

from ‘nothing’ to quite a lot.

When it comes to attracting people to our organisation, as the salespeople of our organisation, what we see, know and understand is pivotal in the conversations we have with those interested in our company as a career.

We need to be writing those business cases to get this on our agenda, and under some level of our control.

In the round table, I sat next to our young video blogger Robbie, proud that someone with such a creative and social focus was sitting in the centre of my recruitment team – while knowing that one of those around the table will, one day, become Robbie’s next employer. And that’s fine. ●

IMAG E | P ETER SEA R L E

11/01/2018 12:59

REC.02.18.067.indd 67

09/01/2018 17:26

Recruit

REC.02.18.068.indd 68

09/01/2018 17:27