Sirona Says

You are never too old to use a job board to find a job!

Last week someone sent me the link to this website - www.2old.co.uk - maybe they think that it will soon fit my age profile!!
I have to say what a good idea it is. I am not an advocate of more job board/ job search engine launches, but to be fair, this is a niche board, and they are the area that seem to be having some traction in the market at the moment.
While it is a nice idea - they do need to get some jobs on there soon to attract all those 'mature job seekers'. While I have no doubt that it will capture the imagination of companies and candidates alike, it does need to be able to deliver the goods at the same time.

So if you are on the grey side, or 'hairless' side (like me!!), then maybe this could be the answer for you!

For Primark, e-recruitment WAS the only way in Bristol!

As some of you will know I have been consulting with Primark for several months, working with them to redesign and improve their recruitment processes. Last week was the culmination of one of the phases - the recruitment event for the new Bristol Primark store. The site - www.primarkbristoljobs.co.uk - that I designed in conjunction with the e-recruitment software provider Amris - certainly did the trick!!

Below is the headline that appeared in the Daily Mirror today - and it says it all!

This was the first time that online recruitment had been used by Primark for recruiting staff for a new store opening (the store actually opens in August), and this trial worked very well.
For those of you that still don't use any form of e-recruitment system, consider this - just how would Primark have coped with nearly 14,000 applications arriving at their office?
The answer is a simple one.........very slowly!

Innovation or Madness? New Recruitment company, Playfair and Noble, pay 50% of their fee to the successful candidate!

Do you ever get emails from companies looking to 'sell you' their company? Probably like you, I get a fair amount arriving in my inbox each week. So you could probably say that I am a little sceptical (too long in the recruitment world, I am afraid!!)

So it was a really pleasant surprise to see a recruitment platform (from non-recruitment people I might add) that is daring to be different and placing its big kahuna's right there on the middle of the recruitment table to be chewed at!! (Metaphorically of course!)

Now before you think I am over dramatising this a little, let me tell why it is so different - This company actually pays the successful candidate  50% of the fee they get paid from their clients!!  And before any of you recruiters say it won't work (like I did before I spoke to them), they have done their maths, and they believe it will.

Now that I have your attention let me tell you the company - Playfair and Noble - and with a name like that, and the offering they are proposing, it won't surprise you to guess that ethics are a HUGE part of what they stand for.
Basically they have a real issue with recruitment agencies.

A great new Twitter tool for job seekers - TwitterJobSearch

I came across this a couple of days ago, and it seems to have taken the Twittersphere by storm with its interest and simplicity!
It is a web site called TwitterJobSearch and it is a fantastcially simple, yet brilliant, website for searching all the jobs placed on Twitter by companies and recruitment agencies alike.
The screen shot above shows how simple it is - you search for job title or location etc, hit search and bingo all the jobs that meet the criteria materialise, instantly.
What I like is that the integrity of the individual tweets are maintained, so you can go off and follow those companies or agencies that seem to be posting jobs on Twitter that suit your needs.

TwitterJobSearch is clever in that it draws in every vacancy posted on Twitter, and the new web-based service analyses and restructures the data, extending each job’s reach and visibility to everyone online. Developed by Workhound, the UK’s leading job search engine, TwitterJobSearch will be joined by a whole suite of smart, semantic search services for recruitment in other social media channels over the coming months.

(Although they may have some fun with Facebook!!)

Also, there is an RSS feed created for any search you might want to do, which is very useful if you want to track certain job titles, locations etc. This will immediately become an important tool for anyone looking for a new job!

I know it is very new, but already I think it is just brilliant - well the simple ideas always are aren't they?

Does Your Business need a Recruitment Pinch Hitter now?

I am sure that many of you are not fans of Baseball, so first let me explain what a pinch hitter actually is:

They are simply defined as a substitute for another person, especially in an emergency or a moment of need.  This expression comes from baseball, where it is used for a player substituting for another at bat at a critical point or in a tight situation.

So to put into a business context, it would be someone with specialist skills being called upon to go into a company and solve specific needs of that company, for problems or issues they are experiencing.

Yes it's not brilliant out there, but it's NOT THAT BAD

We all know the state of the economy, it is something that everyday the media seem to taking great pleasure in telling us because they think people want to hear about it!
But what is more significant, is that all this bad news and the continual overkill of doom and gloom  (in my opinion, anyway) that comes out of the British Chamber of Commerce is ever-shrinking the confidence of recruitment and employment in UK businesses.

But let me be clear here, yes there is alot of bad news out there, but it is not effecting every company in the same way, as many are still recruiting staff at all levels. There are still big recruitment problems out there for some companies, as the quality and availability of candidates is becoming very limited.

A large retailer I spoke to last week, told me that their usage of recruitment agencies has actually increased since the credit crunch took hold!! Is that so surprising?
They now receive ten times more CV's, and the quality has dropped dramatically, so for this retailer to get to speak to the skilled individuals they need in their business, they are needing to use agencies to source them.

Ever wondered what 1 million job losses looks like?

The world is racked with bad news on the job front, and we have all heard all about the job losses - too many times - but have you ever wondered what 1 million job losses looks like? This is from a post on the Finextra blog by Peter Cooper, and shows the all the major job losses globally this year.....so far. This number will unfortunately only rise!!

Company, Year, Quarter, Jobs Lost, Total Employees Prior, Percent lost, Industry
          
UK    3i    2008    4    100    660    15.15%    Private Equity
US    ABX    2008    4    3,500    7,000    50.00%    Logistics
IN    Air India    2008    3    15,000    30,000    50.00%    Airlines
NZ    Air New Zealand    2008    4    200            Airline
US    Amex    2008    4    7,000            Finance
UK    Aston Martin    2008    4    100    300    33.30%    Auto
EU    Astra Zeneca    2008    4    1,400            Pharma
EU    Astra Zeneca    2007    3    7,600            Pharma
US    AT&T    2008    4    4,600    309,500    1.49%    Telecoms
EU    Avis Europe    2008    4            5.00%    Auto Rental
US    Boeing    2008    4    800            Manufacturing - Aircraft/Defense
EU    BP    2008    4    5,000            Oil
UK    Bradford & Bingley    2008    4    370    3,700    10.00%    Banking
UK    BT    2008    4    10,000            Telecoms
US    Cadbury    2007    4    7,500    50,000    15.00%    F&B
US    Carlyle    2008    4    100    1,000    10.00%    Private Equity
US    Chrysler    2008    4    5,000    20,000    25.00%    Auto
US    Circuit City    2008    4    1,241    7,300    17.00%    Retail
US    Citadel Investment Group    2008    4    100    1,300    7.69%    Investment Management
US    Citi    2008    1    23,000    375,000    6.13%    Banking
US    Citi    2008    4    52,000    352,000    14.77%    Banking
US    Continental Airlines    2008    2                Airlines
CH    Credit Suisse    2008    4    6,700    60,909    11.00%    Banking
US    Dana Holdings    2008    4    3,000    33,333    9.00%    Auto
US    Dell    2008    4    8,800            Manufacturing - Computers
DE    Deutsche Bank    2008    4    900            Banking
DE    Deutsche Lufthansa    2008    4    500            Airline
US    Deutsche Post US Logistics    2008    3    5,400    15,500    34.84%    Logistics
US    DHL (Deutsche Post US Logistics)    2008    4    9,500    25,000    38.00%    Logistics
UK    DMGT Daily Mail & General Trust    2008    4    400            Publishing
US    Dow Chemical    2008    4    11,000    51,000    21.57%    Chemical
SE    Ericsson    2008    1    4,000            Manufacturing - Telecoms
US    FCX    2008    4    600            
US    Fidelity International    2008    4    200            Investment Management
US    Ganett (USA Today)    2008    4            10.00%    Publishing
US    Gentex    2008    4    400    2,400    16.67%    Auto
US    GM    2008    4    5,000    33,333    15.00%    Auto
UK    Goldmans    2008    2            10.00%    
US    GSK Glaxo Smith Kline    2008    4    850            Pharma
US    Halfords    2008    4    300    4,200    7.14%    Auto
UK    Halifax Estate Agents    2008    4    100            
UK    HBOS    2008    4    425            Banking
US    HP/EDS    2008    4    24,600            Electronics
HK    HSBC    2008    4    500            Banking
US    Industry    2008    4    25,000            Small Business
US    Industry    2008    4    15,000            Property
US    Industry    2008    4    25,000            Business Services
    International Game Technology    2008    4    460            Manufacturing - Gaming
JP    Isuzu    2008    4    1,400            Auto
UK    ITV    2008    4    1,000            Media
UK    JCB    2008    4    580            Manufacturing - Construction
IN    Jet Airways india    2008    3    1,900    13,000    14.62%    Airlines
US    JPM Chase    2008    4    3,000    30,000    10.00%    Banking
US    JPMorgan    2008    4    3,000    29,000    10.34%    Banking
US    Lam (San Fran Chip)    2008    4    600            Electronics
K    Leyland    2008    4    250            Auto
EU    Logica    2008    4    1,300            Consulting
JP    Mazda    2008    4    1,300            Auto
US    McClatchy    2008    2    1,400    12,900    10.85%    Publishing
US    McClatchy    2008    2    1,150    11,500    10.00%    Publishing
US    Merck    2008    4    500    5,000    10.00%    Pharma
EU    Merrils    2008    2    4,000            Banking
UK    MK One    2008    4    1,400            Media
US    Morgan Stanley    2008    4    2,000    50,000    4.00%    Banking
HK    Morgan Stanley HK    2008    4    100    1,700    5.88%    Banking
UK    Motor World (Pacific Retail)    2008    4    300            Auto
US    Motorola    2008    4    3,000            Electronics
AU    NAB    2008    2    264            Banking
AU    NAB    2008    4    179            Banking
US    National    2008    4    533,000            Official National US Stats
US    National City    2008    4    4,000    28,571    14.00%    Banking
UK    Nomura    2008    4    1,000    4,500    22.22%    Banking
CN    Nortel    2008    1    2,100            Telecoms
CH    Novartis    2008    4    1,300    100,000    1.30%    Pharma
US    NYSE Euornext    2008    4    100    667    15.00%    Exchange
EU    Oce    2008    4    350            Manufacturing
US    Pepsi Botling Group    2008    4    3,300    194,118    1.70%    F&B
FR    Peugeot Citroen    2008    4    2,700            Auto
US    Pilgrim's Pride    2008    4    350            F&B
AU    Qantas    2008    4    1,500    37,500    4.00%    Airlines
DE    Qimonda    2008    4    3,000    13,500    22.22%    Electronics
UK    RBS    2008    4    3,000    170,000    1.76%    Banking
FR    Renault    2008    4    6,000            
AU    Rio Tinto    2008    4    14,000            Mining
UK    Rolls Royce    2008    4    2,000            Manufacturing - Aircraft
SE    Sandvik    2008    4    2,300            Manufacturing
US    Sara Lee    2008    4    300            F&B
EU    SAS    2008    4    700            Airlines
DE    Siemens    2008    2    17,200            Electronics
UK    SIG    2008    4    900            Industrials
SE    Skanska    2008    4    3,400    20,000    17.00%    Construction
CH    SKF    2008    4    2,500    41,667    6.00%    Manufacturing
JP    Sony    2008    4    8,000            Electronics
US    Sprint Nextel            4,000    57,143    7.00%    Telecoms
SE    SSAB            1,300            Steel
SK    Standard Chartered SK    2008    4    527            Banking
US    Sun    2008    4    6,000    33,333    18.00%    Tech
US    Sun    2005-7    -    7,000    40,000    17.50%    Tech
UK    Taylor Wimpey    2008    4    1,000            Financials - Property
IT    Telecom Italia    2008    2    5,000    62,500    8.00%    Telecoms
US    Thomson Reuters    2008    4    1,500            Information
JP    Toyota    2008    4    3,000    6,000    50.00%    Auto
CH    UBS    2008    4    1,900    19,000    10.00%    Banking
CH    UBS    2008    2    4,000    23,000    17.39%    Banking
EU    UniCredit    2008    4    9,000            Banking
BR    Vale    2008    4    1,300    62,000    2.10%    Mining
US    Viacom    2008    4    850            Media
UK    Virgin Media    2008    4    2,200            Media
EU    VoestalPine    2008    4    2,100            Steel
SE    Volvo    2008    2    2,000    24,000    8.33%    Auto
SE    Volvo    2008    4    4,000    22,000    18.18%    Auto
DE    WestLB    2008    4    1,500            Banking
UK    Wolseley    2008    4    7,000            Construction
UK    Woolworths    2008    4    300    1,000    30.00%    Grocery
UK    Yell Media    2008    4    1,300            Media

Sobering isn't it!!

Are non-UK workers costing UK workers jobs?

                                                    Here is a quick thought for you to get your brains engaged!

Are all the foreign (non-native UK) workers having a detrimental effect on the quality of workers in the UK?

I have been traveling around the UK & Ireland for the last month, interviewing staff working for my client. All the staff concerned are in a customer facing role. How many nationalities do you think I have come across working for this company? Well I was amazed, because it is 28 - outside of UK nationalities - different foreign nationalities that are currently working there (that I have found so far anyway!).

Many of them are hard working, good English speakers, and many put their UK compatriots to shame with their level of work. But there are many complaints from the local workers, and it is primarily down to language, and the way that the foreign nationals communicate and engage with customers. Allegedly the non-English staff don't understand the customers -  whatever they mean by that!!

But aren't we living in a multi-cultural society? Shouldn't we just accept this and let them 'learn' at our expense? Are we wrong to even be raising these questions?

While listening the the radio on Saturday evening, after the thrashingSouth Africa gave the England rugby team, I heard a well known ex-player raise the same issue! They claimed that the England defeat was down to the number of foreign players in the premier rugby division taking the places of English players - and there was me thinking they were just crap and were totally outplayed!!

I have no issue at all with non-UK workers getting jobs, so long as they are judged to be as equally as skilled for the job and that they can converse as well as UK workers (maybe we should exclude Geordies and Brummies from this??). I do have a problem however, with organisations such as left wing councils, giving jobs to immigrants who don't speak English, for jobs that shouldn't exist in the first place. They seem to create stupidly titled jobs that have no meaning in life and then give them to immigrants (with work permits of course!) just because they can!!

What do you reckon? Am I being a bit harsh or do you agree?

"Get to work, or it will be the Cattle Prod for you!"

Over the last couple of weeks, there has been much talk in the press about the idiotic decision to use a TV presenter to help drive down the numbers of long term unemployed people. It seems that many of the writers agree with me that a self opinionated, arrogant and 'ratings focused' person is probably not the way forward, and that there must be a better more focused way to help this group of people.
Enter the Australians, with an idea of how they should approach their long term unemployed.

Recently, one of their new politicians, John Williams, made his maiden speech in the Australian Parliament. In it, he was a little outspoken(!!!) on the subject of unemployment......."There are many people living on employment benefits who were 'determined not to work'. The long term unemployed are simply getting a free ride on behalf of tax payers of Australia and it is about time they received a touch on the backside with a cattle prodder to get them off their butts and actually do some work!"

He continued, "Those who were capable of working should not receive a dole cheque unless they made some contribution to society." He continued, "I believe that if you are in good health and are capable of working, then you should work. However, I do believe that the genuine unemployed should have a safety net and should be helped through their tough times until they find employment."

Now, while I wouldn't disagree that there is probably a section of the long term unemployed in the UK that could probably do with a cattle prod, it is of course not the approach (shame, I hear you cry!!!). But the metephoric short sharp shock could be used.
I agree with John Williams, that a good number of them have no intention to work, and that something needs to get these people of their backsides!  The trouble is that we have gone so far down the politically correct route, that it would probably be against their human rights to make them work, if they don't want to!!

It got me thinking, what other methods - fair or foul - could be used to "encourage" the hard core "don't want to work" unemployed back to work?
I will start the ideas with something simple..........Fair - manditory community work projects, Foul - Chinese water torture!

Now its your turn, what would you do? 

Teach your children to speak chinese!

If you think we have got talent issues in the UK, then think again! China, now one of the new superpowers of the world, is needing to feed it's exponential growth with talent. Therein lies the problem. One, there isn't enough skilled people to meet the huge demand and two, one of their biggest problems is retaining employees, particularly Management.
Competition is stiff for Managers in China and high turnover just compounds the issue. Management-level attrition rates in China are more than 25 percent greater than the global average, and replacing a high-performing manager can cost 300% to 2,000% of that individual’s salary.

Jonas Prising, President of Manpower North America, says,“The United States is the biggest investor country in China, yet many of its companies are struggling to generate the growth they want because of people issues. Recruiting the right people, retaining the best staff and developing leaders of the future are difficult tasks in any market. For foreign companies operating in China, there is the added difficulty of understanding how to adapt talent management strategies to the country’s unique business culture and values.”

The rapid economic and social change that has already impacted China in a big way in the past few years has spurred a skills shortage that is expected to be massive in the next few years. The labour shortage in China is even more problematic than in other nations because it is most severe among managers. 40% of companies find it difficult to fill senior management positions.  Mid-level managers are also in short supply, particularly those who are Chinese nationals and can interact with local people.

So is it any wonder that search for talent in China has gone online, in this extreme example of a candidate driven market. The job board stats would be a dream for online companies in the UK, with the Chinese employments sites such as Zhaopin.com and 51job.com having daily hits in excess 4 million. But when you realise that China’s population is well be over 1.3 billion people you realise that it is just a drop in the ocean.

So if you are advising your children which GSCE's to study, or you really do want to give you little generation Z'ers a leg up into the global workplace, then start them studying mandarin or cantonese!!

Discrimination, what discrimination? - China's 'Skills for helping the disabled' guide

China has never been known for their caring and compassionate approach to people, so I guess their latest public statement will not necessarily surprise too many people. The subject is of course the Olympic Games in Beijing later this year. Like all large sporting events, they need many volunteers to make them work, and there is no shortage of people wanting to take part. But they have embarked on a specific recruitment campaign  - to find people that will help with all the disabled athletes and visitors to the Olympic Games. That's great, until you see some of the content in their 'Skills for Helping the Disabled' guide!! Here are some of the pointers in the recruiting guide that describe disabled people as:

• "special group with unique personalities and ways of thinking"
• "Some physically disabled are isolated, unsocial, and introspective. They can be stubborn and controlling . . . defensive and have a strong sense of inferiority"
• "Sometimes they are overly protective of themselves, especially when they are called crippled or paralysed. Do not use ‘cripple’ or ‘lame’ even if you are just joking."
• "volunteers should not sit in someone’s wheelchair just to satisfy a personal interest"
• "often optically disabled people are introverted"

I believe legal action is already forthcoming - it's a shame some of the highly paid consultants didnt consult with the western world first!!