As a recruiter with over 13 years’ experience within the secretarial and office support area, I talk to dozens of professionals each day about the challenges of the current market.

The job market has definitely tightened meaning fewer opportunities. An increasingly competitive job market allows employers to be picky.

With this in mind, what does it take to stand out from the crowd and secure a top position at a time when the market is flooded with candidates?

Start by writing your CV for the digital age. This means understanding that the software scanning CVs uses an algorithm to determine how relevant your skills are to the job. The software scans experience, skills and length of time in each role and then predicts the likelihood of you succeeding in the role. More and more companies and recruiters are adopting this software so your CV must be loaded with keywords to enable you to be found!

Ask yourself if your CV content adds value? Or implement the ‘So what?’ test. Prospective employers are looking for you to demonstrate added value i.e. volunteering, competing in an unusual sport or fund raising all illustrate and engaged and committed individual, being a member of a gym, enjoying trips to the cinema or socializing with friends, not so much.

Once you’ve mastered your CV, be prepared to elaborate on any part of it during interview. Always use past experiences as proof of your ability and enter the interview confident you can articulate your specific skills and accomplishments concisely and in an interesting way. Remember, if you land an interview it’s likely your skills will be put to the test so ensure your CV matches your skills and don’t be tempted to elaborate.

Its then down to you to make yourself memorable in a positive way. First impressions count, be punctual, have a firm handshake and maintain eye contact. Chipped nail polish and candidates neglecting to remove outdoor clothing are recurring interview etiquette faux pas.

Hopefully following these simple steps will ensure you are perfectly placed one step ahead of your rivals.

candidate competition, career, CV tips, digital cv, first impressions, online cv, recruitment, secretarial and office support, secretarial jobs

On last night’s episode of The Apprentice, both teams struggled to grasp the idea of the reinvestment task, whereby they were given a pallet of stock from a wholesaler to sell to the public. The real challenge was to make a profit by reinvesting in stock they knew would sell. At the end of the show, chatterbox Melody Hossaini was silenced by Lord Sugar when she became the latest contestant to be fired.

Over the course of the season we’ve watched Melody demonstrate some great skills; consistently taking big risks and putting herself forward as project manager.

It was clear that firing Melody was not an easy decision for Lord Sugar to make. Unlike the usual slaughter house style axing, Sugar commented, “You three have given me a bit of a dilemma to consider here”. Lord Sugar’s final line before dismissing Melody was “It is with regret, Melody, that you’re fired”. After Melody left the boardroom he said, “We have a woman of exceptional ability there I think, but it is a cruel process”.

Will Lord Sugar live to regret his decision? Like he did in the 2010 series after sacking Lizz over Stuart Baggs? Time will tell.

The advice we can offer:

Employers – clearly you won’t be under as much pressure with cameras rolling to make a decision on the future talent of your company, but choosing the right professional, no matter how many rounds of interviews are done, is always a gamble. Using an experienced recruitment consultant will  reduce that risk so always seek their advice and make sure you are working with the best.  Remember, a recruitment consultant’s success is measured by matching the right individual to the right role, consistently.

Job seekers - clearly Melody was talented, Lord Sugar thought so, and so are you, but often when you are up against competition that appears equally as good as you, it’s hard to not feel bruised when you’re not chosen. Learn from knock backs and work to gain more experience until you get that offer.  Be patient, confident and believe in yourself. The right role will come along for you. Trust me, I am a recruitment consultant…

BBC, BBC1, Careers, Karren Brady, Lord Sugar, Melody Hossaini, recruitment, The Apprentice

Last night’s episode of The Apprentice saw Lord Sugar boot out the latest unsuccessful contestant Glenn Ward, a senior design engineer. In the moments before firing Glenn, Sugar said, “Glenn, I’ve never yet come across an engineer that can turn his hands to business.” Online bloggers went spare at this comment.

Glenn ended up in the boardroom when his team failed the task to publish a free magazine (or ‘freemium’) of their choice. Glenn’s team chose to target the over 60s market, and attempted to be ironic by naming their magazine ‘Hip Replacement’. Despite being praised at first for choosing a gap in the market, the team lost the challenge after their negotiation skills were criticised and media buyers baulked at their magazine’s title.

Sugar’s aide Nick Hewer provided further insight into the situation on the aftershow. “Lord Sugar loves engineers…he is an engineer! He has just had a couple of bad experiences where professionals with engineering backgrounds were given commercial roles and it didn’t work out,” he said.

This may be true but the reaction on blogging websites conveyed the feelings of many that Sugar was being prejudiced. Had he never heard of Isambard Brunel, Henry Ford, James Dyson, Steve Jobs – engineers who didn’t do too badly at business?

So what do you think? Do employers view a change in career path negatively? Are quantitative degrees considered unsuitable for commercial roles? I’d be interested to hear from you.

BBC, BBC1, Career change, Careers, Engineer, Karen Brady, Lord Sugar, recruitment, Sugar, The Apprentice

In last night’s episode, business psychologist Edna Agbarha was the latest contestant to be booted out of this series of The Apprentice.  As opposed to the usual humiliating boardroom battle, Lord Sugar instead had enough of Edna purely for personality and work ethic reasons. “Edna, I just don’t think that me and you are going to gel in business…you’re fired.”

Edna’s departure came after her team failed a two-day task of making a profit from waste disposal. Despite being part of the team’s near-success by negotiating client visits and making sales, her departure highlighted the importance of personality fit in a team and so prompts the question: to what extent would you trust a recruiter to find the right match for you and your workforce? Or do you sift through the rubbish?

Despite being a capable and robust business partner on paper, with three degrees and 14 years’ experience across several continents, plus an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Edna couldn’t escape the axe.

This year’s series has a twist on the usual format; the winning contestant will go into a 50/50 partnership with Lord Sugar on a new venture. It may be that he has different criteria for a partner rather than an employee.  A lesson taken from this episode is that even with the right skills and experience on paper, the right personality fit often goes over and above qualifications in a final decision.

BBC, BBC1, Edna Agbarha, Karen Brady, Lord Sugar, Nick Hewer, qualifications, recruitment, Team-fit, The Apprentice, Waste Disposal

Last night’s uninspiring leader, Gavin Winstanley provoked plenty of Thursday morning post-Apprentice debate over what it takes to be a successful team leader.

Gavin, the latest contestant to be axed from the show, was more than keen to put himself forward for the position of team leader for the task. As a managing director himself, he has ample experience of organising others, and was seemingly capable of the job. It soon became apparent he wasn’t equipped for the task, being described as ‘uninspiring’ and ‘disorganised’.

Following the team’s harsh scrutiny of Gavin’s management skills, Karren Brady jumped to his defence, “He had a much more difficult team to manage, of very strong people, who didn’t want to listen, who wanted to do it all”. The challenge Gavin failed to embrace was to unite his diverse team and bring individual strengths and skills to the fore.

As recruiters, we often see job seekers with strengths in areas that their prospective managers do not possess. This has the potential to negatively impact the hiring decision, as managers might feel their experience is not relevant, or might even feel threatened. However, it is important to embrace professionals with varying skill sets; they can often boost your own performance and that of your team.
The real question was whether Gavin was truly motivated to be Lord Sugar’s business partner or whether he would be happier running his own business.

BBC, BBC1, Karren Brady, Lord Sugar, Management, Nick Hewer, recruitment, Savoy Grill, The Apprentice, The Savoy, Top Hats

This week, we released a salary survey which provides market intelligence into hiring and remuneration across the financial services sector in London. Over the course of 2010, we saw increased hiring activity within this sector. According to Morgan McKinley’s widely read monthly London Employment Monitor, the total number of job vacancies increased by 48% year-on-year. Whilst this is a pleasing increase, it is still at relatively suppressed levels when compared to pre-recession levels.

Other key findings from our research are also positive. Well over half of hiring managers (62%) expect to see salaries increase over 2011. Only a quarter (26%) expect them to stay the same. This not only reflects an improving market and a stronger demand for talent by our clients but is a strong indication of how, once again, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract and retain staff. Over half (52%) of our clients cited that attracting and retaining staff would be the key driver for salary increases this year. Combined with these results, the whole subject of bonus is clearly a key barometer of market conditions. Whilst the largest percentage of our clients (38%) felt that bonuses would remain similar to 2009/10, over a quarter (27%) felt they would increase in the 2010/11 bonus round. Overall, the trends and key indicators for 2011 continue to point to further improvement in the employment market.

Download our 2011 London Salary Survey as a pdf [2.92 MB] >>

We hope you find this salary guide informative. If you have any questions, feedback or would like to discuss any of the findings in this salary survey, please feel free to contact me or any of my colleagues here at Morgan McKinley for further information. Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you all the best in your employment endeavours in 2011.

2011 salary survey, Careers, Financial Services, financial services salary survey, London, London salary survey, Morgan McKinley, recruitment

David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour party, MP, REC, recruitment, Recruitment & employment federation, Utopian society

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune.  If you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe you can hire…the A-Team.

For the late 20-somethings and early/ mid 30s amongst us, you’ll easily recall them. And with three years in the making and nearly 24 years of avid fans patiently waiting, the A-Team movie finally hits our cinema screens. The awesome quartet of Face, BA, Murdoch and their sophisticated, cigar-smoking leader, Hannibal will once again grace us with that all too familiar storyline…

Someone is in need of help (usually a damsel in distress), to fight off some nasty villains. For no apparent reason Hannibal gets a tip from one of the team that someone needs their help. He arranges a meeting in which he turns up in disguise to suss out his new client. I must admit I don’t ever recall an episode where he rejected a job because of insufficient skills or credit. So an agreement is made and the A-Team are again employed!

Here is really where the plot thickens. The A-Team conducts a stake out in order to let the aggressors find out who they are. After a series of fisticuffs, B.A throwing someone over a car and a few thousand rounds fired without actually hitting anyone, the aggressors run off to report back to their now very angry employer.

The next scene then involves one or more of the A-Team being kidnapped and locked away in a shed/bunker/garage that often has enough tools and material to build a tank. Lucky that…

Clearly, they escape, but let’s not take anything away as they are after all a crack commando unit. So once free, they fight back, gain power back to the good guys and another successful mission is complete.

I suppose you are wondering what this has to do with recruitment. Well, to be honest, not an awful lot,  however with this long-awaited film going on general release today, it just got us at Morgan McKinley thinking drama and excitement aside, the A-Team exemplifies a group of people who work exceptionally well together as a team to meet targets and achieve results on deadline. They move from one successful project to the next deploying this effective strategy and enjoying their work at the same time. It’s not often that we recommend that our candidates should head to the cinema for tips on making themselves more employable, however on this occasion it might just be a good plan.

I love it when a plan comes together…

A-Team, Morgan McKinley, recruitment

Well, my foray into the world of the web log: here we go…

Thanks to Alex for her introduction last week. I’ve got a whole range of topics to discuss with you all over the coming months: the recruitment market, developments in the world of taxation, current affairs and, of course, I’ll be sharing my legendary love of sports with you too. The latter no doubt keeping you fully up to date on the ups and downs of my beloved Arsenal FC’s season as well as my own tribulations on golf courses across the Home Counties.

Before we get going, I want to wish Alex Lawrie all the best as she heads off on maternity leave for the next six months. We look forward to hearing all about her new arrival – and hopefully getting some more of delicious her home made jam when we catch up!!

Watch this space over the coming weeks and months for all the latest taxation developments, I’m keen to hear from you as well so please keep your thoughts and comments coming.

Alex lawrie, Arsenal FC, blog, Blogosphere, current affairs, New blogger, recruitment, tax jobs, Tax market, Taxation

It’s no secret that over the last few months every man and his dog has been hiring. Institutions clearly cut too deep during the recession period and are now having to compete heavily to bring on board talent.

What I have noticed within the financial services sector is how much base salaries have risen in a short period of time. Whilst companies are doing their utmost to keep hold of recently resigned employees, by throwing copious amounts of money their way, they are also distorting the pattern of their own internal wage structure.  One could argue that the market could eventually follow the traits of the footballing world.  Similarly, there are businesses who are prepared to break the bank to bring on a particular skill set.  Question is how long can this continue and how high can they go?

On a separate note, and slightly off tangent, World Cup starts this Friday!!!!  Come on England……

England, Football, Hiring, recruitment, Salaries, World Cup