Managed Recruitment Solutions

Enough now…………..

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:43:56 +0000

The British are extremely good at prevaricating. If a decision can be put off it inevitably will be, and all the better if there is something that can be used to justify the postponement. Last year was unprecedented in many of our business’ experience, not only in terms of a global recession but also the manner in which funding lines abruptly came to a halt. But that was last year, and the business community’s collective New Year’s Resolution should have been to get on with life and make the best of the situation. Instead, businesses have been hiding behind a range of excuses for not implementing their plans and moving forward; these excuses range from political uncertainty, to wanting to see what the emergency budget was going to bring in terms of cuts, to the World Cup. Sorry to say, but everyone knew that Labour would lose power, and everyone knew that we wouldn’t win the World Cup. Even the Budget offers opportunity rather than despondency (unless you work in the public sector), and virtually every single significant business brain has expressed an opinion that the Budget is actually good news for smaller companies.

We all have our opinions on the England football team, and most focus on the fact that the mix of skills isn’t correct and that a significant number of players don’t have pride in the jersey. In many respects, there are a lot of businesses out there with similar personnel problems, who feel that they aren’t getting the best out of their team, but who are afraid to change. Now is the time for that change, to capitalise on the opportunities (”he who dares, wins Rodders”) and to turn that business from also-ran into world beater. Now is the time to stop prevaricating and to take the decisions that will bring success and reward.

Is there any hope out there?

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:44:41 +0000

You could be forgiven for thinking that the UK employment market is a disaster judging by mounting job losses and workplace closures announced over the last year or so. Even recent figures published are being treated with scepticism, with many commentators seeing them as merely a blip on an otherwise upward trend. Other than the headline job cuts, it is entirely possible that employment has stabilised partly through companies holding on to staff during the bad times in the expectation that things will get better.

However, in a large number of cases, the payoff for remaining in employment has been reduced hours and pay freezes, if not pay cuts. Even more worryingly, given the impending pensions crisis and the fact that most people will have to work well past the age at which their parents retired, is the dramatic rise in the number of over 50s out of work; 30% more over 50s were out of work by the end of 2009 compared to a year previously, while the number of over 50s out of work for between six and twelve months had risen by 126%.

As with any recession, the major job cuts are borne by the multi-nationals whose immediate panic reaction to placate their investors is to cut costs. Small firms are acknowledged as important job creators (c84% of all new posts across the EU were created by small companies between 2002 and 2007), but most importantly they are in a position to react quickly and positively to improvements in the economic outlook. One area that will undoubtedly require addressing is recruitment to support any growth, but with so many people looking for work, businesses are overwhelmed by the volume of response to their job adverts, particularly as only a small number of applicants will actually have the right skills.

The true value of an executive recruitment agency is in being able to supply a high quality shortlist of correctly skilled candidates for a cost that, in terms of time and money, is only slightly more than doing it yourself.

Be a part of Red for Heart

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:05:55 +0000

At Managed Recruitment Solutions, we are proud to support two extremely worthwhile causes, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the British Heart Foundation. The British Heart Foundation not only pours valuable resources into researching heart disease and other circulatory illnesses, but provides irreplaceable aftercare and support for both sufferers and their families. Very often the BHF is the reason that patients make full recoveries from heart surgery, but they rely very heavily on donations and fundraising. If you are clearing out your wardrobe (or that of your children), or making room for the new toys that your children received at Christmas by clearing out the ones they no longer want, why not take them to your local British Heart Foundation shop?

February is National Heart Month and as part of our efforts to help to fight heart disease, we will be donating part of each placement fee invoiced during February to BHF. You can do your bit by joining in with the National Wear Red Day on Friday 26 February. For further information, go to www.bhf.org.uk

Welcome to the Blog!

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:41:05 +0000

So we’ve finally embraced technology and, Luddites that we are, been dragged kicking and screaming out of the Noughties.

So what have we learned? Mostly that the good businesses will always do well and that there are still worthwhile careers and opportunities out there. The past eighteen months have probably taught us that candidates have to be 100% convinced about a new role and business, and many will only look at “fireproof” opportunities.

But as Del Boy was fond of saying “he who dares, Rodders” and the entrepreneurial companies are still the ones that will offer the most interesting, and potentially rewarding jobs.