Could contracting within the healthcare sector be your next step? 12/12/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in Healthcare.Tags: AWR, candidates, employees, flexible workforce, retention, temporary employement
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The healthcare team here at CBSbutler speak to highly talented candidates on a daily basis, yet a common misconception we hear is that contract work is less secure, not to mention less lucrative than permanent employment. But is there really any truth to this?
With budget cuts rife, and the need for a flexible workforce, temporary employment is increasingly being looked at by organisations. And this is particularly the case for our clients within healthcare trusts who seek staff for specific project based assignments. For example, we are currently seeing increased demand for highly skilled clinical coding and quality assurance professionals.
So for those of you with the experience, what’s holding you back? We often hear people shying away from contract work because of the desire for continued employment and financial stability. Yet, candidates with niche skills sets can often secure work on a continuing basis for months, if not years. By completing temporary projects to high standards, and working with the right consultancy, you can remain in employment for substantial periods. What’s more, pay rates for contract work can often be very lucrative – more so than many permanent positions infact– and provide a degree of independence and flexibility.
Another aspect often overlooked when considering temporary employment, is the reality that candidates will receive many of the same rights afforded to permanent employees. With the Agency Workers Regulations now firmly in place, temporary employees are entitled the same rights regarding holiday pay, overtime and bonuses than their permanent counterparts.
There are many benefits to temporary or contract employment, perhaps those that have steered clear previously ought to consider this option before ruling it out completing. And for those of you in the healthcare sector, why not check out the latest positions we have on offer by visiting our site, or Facebook page.
APSCo social media workshop 17/10/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in future engineers, jobs, social.Tags: candidates, engagement, social media
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I recently attended a seminar on social media by APSCo which reinforced just how vital it is for consultants to keep up to date with new developments in this area.
Put simply, the job of a recruiter is to find the best employee for a position. As such, industry contacts and expertise have traditionally been the best methods to locate a perfect match. But today consultants are increasingly looking to social media.
LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have over 535 million combined users. That equates to a lot of potential talent for a company. The seminar was a success and focused on how to maximise LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. The key, it appears, when using social media platforms is creating relevance – following and engaging with significant people and creating dialogue.
If recruiters are increasingly looking to source talent via social media, do job seekers need to improve their online presence? We suspect so. Here are our top tips for candidates using social media:
- Google yourself
Remember that any social media profile you have can be found through a simple Google search. Make sure that there is nothing in the public domain that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see. An unfortunate picture, or an inappropriate discussion with a friend that may have happened years ago could cost you a future job. And if you are using Facebook, a good way to make sure only your friends see what you post is through the privacy settings.
- Make connections
If you’re using LinkedIn, make sure you are connecting with old and new faces. By expanding your network you will be able to access many more potential employers, but also, and importantly, you will be visible and show up in searches. But don’t make the mistake of adding every member of an organisation that you want to work for. Not only do you run the risk of being ignored, you may also ruin your chances of working there by alienating staff members. Be selective in who you send an invitation to connect with.
And if you are using Twitter, start following experts in the field that you are interested in and begin commenting on what they are discussing. This will make you more visible and the more you engage, the more followers you will get.
- Be active
Be active and contribute to online discussions and forums. Provide insight and share your ideas on any bogs you are following, and retweet interesting posts you see on Twitter. Not only will you gain more information, but you may just make some new connections or learn of job opportunities in the process. By joining relevant groups on LinkedIn, you will expand your network. And by commenting on discussions, your ability to be seen by hirer’s will increase, and you will begin to stand out.
- Stay updated
Make sure that all your social media profiles are up to date and current. On LinkedIn don’t forget to add volunteer and internship placements you may have undertaken. This information can only enhance your profile. You should also take advantage of the ‘Recommendation’ options on LinkedIn – get past colleagues, mangers, or clients to recommend your previous work. This will show up on your profile and is a place employers will check when looking at potential candidates.
- Research
Last but by no means least, use social media to research your potential boss. Viewing an organisation’s website is no longer deemed sufficient research. Search your future company’s Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Knowing the business will give you an added advantage in your interview and will show that you are resourceful.
Let us know what you think? How has social media helped you in your job search? Do you think that traditional methods are now old hat?
The importance of employer brand 23/12/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employer brand, Employment, Engagement, Recruitment.Tags: candidates, employees, retention, training, welll-being
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I recently appeared in Recruitment International discussing the reasons why recruiters need to take a long hard look at their “people strategy”, if they want to recruit and retain high quality staff and be seen as employers of choice.
The image of recruitment as a career has improved over the last few years; however some parts of the industry are still perceived as high pressured, long hours and money orientated. For recruiters to overcome this negative image it essential for organisations to create an employer brand that cultivates a high performance culture that all employees can buy into. Employees who are enthusiastic and inspired will in turn create loyalty, aid attraction and improve retention. Recruitment is a people business, so obviously we either succeed or fail on the quality of our own people. (more…)
How to resign 14/06/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employment, Job, Recruitment.Tags: candidates, employees
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We recently wrote a piece for Jobsite, the recruitment job board on ‘How to resign’. In our job as recruitment consultants we spend a lot of our time helping candidates find jobs and giving them advice about interview techniques but what candidates also need is guidance on the best practice when resigning. The article can be found in full here, meanwhile here’s a summary of our top tips when considering resigning:
- Never hand in your notice without a formal offer of a new job in writing.
- Agree a starting date and any contract negotiations before you tell your current employer you are leaving.
- Pick your moment – arrange a private meeting with your manager to tell them and whilst it may not be the best time to tell them on the morning of a major client meeting don’t keep putting it off. It has to be done and if you wait and wait you are more likely to cause yourself problems with a delay in your notice period beginning. (more…)
Interview with a difference 09/06/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in Employment, Job, Recruitment, Uncategorized.Tags: candidates, employees, interview questions, recruitment agencies, technical recruiters
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A recent survey by SHL has found that almost half (49%) of UK candidates have a negative perception of an organisation following an unsuccessful job application. The areas that can often leave the candidate feeling like they didn’t get proper treatment range from:
- candidate not made to feel welcome on arriving at employer’s premises or even poor attitude/behaviours witnessed sloppy interview process – unstructured and lack of competency in interviewing skills
- an uninspiring interviewer – ineffective selling of the job and/or the employer’s value proposition
So that got me thinking, how can recruitment agencies help improve perception?? (more…)
You’re fired! 02/06/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employment, Recruitment.Tags: candidates, employees, interview questions
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We featured in the Sunday Times recent article ‘Fired? You can get over it’. The article discusses being fired, and how you should deal with this issue in future job interviews. I for one certainly know what it feels like to be fired – prior to setting up CBSbutler I was working for an engineering firm and found myself going into work one day to be told I had lost my job! Certainly not a nice experience for anyone to have to go through but it can lead to better things.
Here at CBSbutler we hear from plenty of candidates on a daily basis and if we simply turned away those who had been sacked we would rule out a huge proportion of candidates. Instead we speak to these candidates about what happened and help them prepare for the likely questions that employers will ask them about their sacking. Here are our top interview tips for those who have been sacked:
- Don’t be tempted to skirt around the issue at interview or simply omit it – most experienced interviewers will pick up on what looks like a sacking.
- Confront the issue head on – employers will want to see a decent explanation for what happened and what you have done since. (more…)
Logistical problems of volcanic proportions 26/04/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employment.Tags: candidates, employees, technical recruitment
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Well things are finally getting back to normal now British airspace is open again! Here at CBSbutler, there were a lot of logistical nightmares for both our contractors trying to start their work, but also for our candidates trying to make their interviews.
One of our candidates who was in Germany on business couldn’t get back for a face-to-face interview with one of our defence clients, so we arranged a telephone interview instead. They liked him and now he’s back on UK soil we’ve been able to re-schedule the interview, so all’s well that ends well. But its not just candidates that had problems; a couple of our clients weren’t able to run their interviews, and because of this we’ve had to push back about 6 interviews to this week.
Keeping in touch with our candidates is really important at times like this, just to let them know what’s happening and keeping them warm. On the plus side, good communication like this can strengthen the rapport we have with our candidates. (more…)
How healthy is your office? 23/04/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employment.Tags: candidates, employees, exercise, welll-being
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According to our recent survey, 57% of organisations we asked felt that employers should be taking an active interest in their staff’s health and wellbeing and 25% believed that it was a personal choice and nothing to do with the employer. So what should employers really be doing? Of course no one can or should be forced into maintaining a healthy lifestyle either inside or outside of the workplace and here at CBSbutler we are doing our bit for those of our staff who do wish to maintain healthy lifestyle. After all there is substantial evidence to suggest that a healthy office is a more productive office. (more…)
Can you answer these? 23/03/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in Recruitment.Tags: candidates, interview questions, technical recruitment
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Many of us have seen the mind-boggling interview questions that Google subjects its interviewees to, but Google isn’t the only company to use such techniques! Some of our clients are consultancies involved with the goverment and defence and due to the nature of their work they have high requirements for their new hires – A’s at A level, at least a 2:1 or above from a Red Brick University and a Masters or PhD if possible – and that’s just the beginning. After the typical CV run through you’d expect in an interview and a presentation from the candidate they turn to problem solving and some pretty complex maths. Think you could handle that? Well, here are some of the questions they’ve asked: (more…)
