It’s no wonder so many job seekers feel like this at some point.

I just need ‘someone’ to give me a break.

We look externally. Sometimes we need someone to recognise our potential. Sometimes we need extra support, sometimes we need a little luck.

Most of the time though we need a break from ourselves. From the pressure we put ourselves under, from the anxiety we carry.

It’s obvious why job search is so stressful. We need so much. The money, the security, the hope for the future and for some, the identity it gives us.

It can feel as though we are under a spotlight as well meaning friends and family ask for updates and give advice. It’s no wonder our self belief is under fire at a time when we need it most.

This is all normal.

The internal voices we hear and the emphasis we give them can effect our success.

Mental strength is in our ability to be good to ourselves in our time of need.

To lay off when we are low or disappointed and to cheer on when it’s time for action.

It can be life altering the difference self support can make. A very simple but often difficult thing to do.

Give it a try. Give yourself a ‘break’. Just for one day tune out that inner critic. Start humming in your head when you start chastising, smile. For the day don’t listen, let it go.

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Understandably those needs begin to drive us and we start to become blinkered.

STOP.

Just for a moment. Think about what elements of your current job or old career that still hold interest for you. Which have potential to develop and what do you still have energy for?  What is positive about your environment and culture.

What would your ideal picture look like with all of those elements included?

The next time you apply for a position, take a call with a recruiter, attend an interview, remember those elements.

Share those positives. Show your desire to move towards a role that meets them. Demonstrate how the position you are applying to meets some or all of those elements.

Reconnect with your job role and the passion will come through.

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•Career consultants. Although a good recruiter can certainly give you advice on career paths, opportunities and the market, they are not counsellors or coaches able to help you figure out what you want.

If you don’t know, your confusion becomes theirs, how can they help you when they don’t know what you’re asking for? Alternatively you are opening yourself up for manipulation. If you are not clear on the criteria, you could easily end up doing what they want you to, rather than what you need to do.

•A shoulder to cry on. Unless you are friends with the recruiter, they are not the best person to dump your job search woes onto. It’s not that they are all unsympathetic (I know many question if human at all) you need to remember they are a part of the selection process.

Of course their influence levels vary greatly, but you would be surprised how many candidates launch into a rant over their last boss, lack of motivation, personal problems, and previous job issues and then say of course I won’t tell the client that.

•Impartial. Although paid in different ways the majority are given bonus incentives. Again although based on different criteria, the amount of fees they have earned placing people into positions will play a part (the only part for some.)

Ed Scrivener wrote a great piece discussing commission in his post “Getting The Best From Recruitment Consultants” on jobsite.

Some want that one fee right now; most as Ed explains want the right person for the job.

•The only person in the process. If you haven’t heard any feedback, don’t assume the recruiter is withholding it, or being too lazy to chase up.

Changes in the way a company recruits, can mean that today, the recruiter at the agency sits further away from the decision maker than ever before. Even if in direct contact, it is still difficult to get a client to be specific about individual applications. Many actively avoid giving such information. It’s not for want of trying either.

Most recruiters are tenacious, they need to be, they want to know what is happening with the position just as much as you do, both your success rides on it.

I’m sure you can think of a few more…?

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Whilst I haven’t kept exact figures, some people felt their employer handled their redundancy in the right way, yet many others realised they should have questioned their employer more as to why they were made redundant – some stories I had been told just didn’t add up.

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Before Christmas I met a Financial Controller I had known for over 8 years, and it was their story that prompted me to write this post.  Assuming they were not over-exaggerating, I don’t know how their employer got away with making them redundant and suffered no repercussions.  Looking at it from an outsider’s viewpoint, it seemed to be a cover-up to me for something else going on in the business.  The candidate fortunately secured a new job thanks to McGinnis Loy so they managed to move on quite quickly, but I suspect this was not an isolated case.

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In response to the question often asked by recruiters “what is your reason for leaving?” Redundancy is now one of the top answers I am given, and is now as frequent as “career progression” or “looking for a shorter commute” used to be 5+ years ago.  Since the 2008/2009 recession, redundancy has certainly become more prominent on CVs than ever before, and in today’s uncertain economic times it is no surprise.  Having written an article late last year on Coping With Redundancy, only now have I thought a summary about redundancy entitlements would be useful.

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One of the best websites I would recommend is www.direct.gov.uk.  They have comprehensive guides on redundancy, and a whole section dedicated to “Redundancy & Leaving Your Job”.   One of first things they talk about is the employer’s responsibility to treat you fairly and how they should follow the correct legal process, including consulting you in person before making you redundant.  A face-to-face consultation with your employer should, amongst other things, include a discussion about why you have been selected for redundancy, and what alternatives to redundancy they have considered.

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If you are entitled to statutory redundancy pay, the amount you will receive is based on how long you have been continuously employed (must be at least 2 years), your age and weekly pay (up to a specific limit).  Some employers (most notably larger corporate) do offer more generous redundancy packages than the current statutory amounts, so it is always worth checking your employment contract when you joined the business.  The DirectGov website also allows you to check that your employer has worked out your redundancy payment correctly.  It provides a quick calculator to help you, which you can access by following this link.

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There are some circumstances where you are entitled to redundancy pay though, and the two most common are:

• Where your employer offers you alternative work which you refuse without good reason.
• Where you decide to leave of your own free will, before the end of your notice period.

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If your employer is declared insolvent or they cannot afford to pay your statutory redundancy pay, this can bring further financial complications.  However, you can apply for a direct payment from the National Insurance Fund (you can download a RP1 form here). In order to claim, you must first write to your employer asking for your statutory redundancy pay, and only if they are still unable to pay, should you fill out form RP1 from the Insolvency Service.

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Another website I found useful when researching is www.worksmart.org.uk, run by the TUC.  Like the DirectGov website, they offer a wide range of articles and a comprehensive FAQ (frequently asked questions) section.  Some of the more relevant questions I have highlighted below, with links at the end giving you the answers, but do look through the whole site for further informative advice:

• How do I know if I have been fairly selected for redundancy?  more…
• I have been offered an alternative to redundancy – doing a different job. What is my position?  more…
• What consultation must an employer undertake before making redundancies?  more…
• I have been told of potential redundancies but the employer has not discussed this with staff. Is this allowed?  more…
• My employer has announced redundancies and a selection process that is obviously unfair. What should I do?  more…
• I’ve been made redundant because my employer is bankrupt. Will I still get paid?  more…
• What notice does my employer have to give when making me redundant?  more…

There are many more websites available for people who are about to be, or who have already been made redundant.  Just typing “redundancy” into Google gives over 26million results, so there is certainly a wealth of free information out there if you care to search through it all.  Hopefully this short summary will have provided you with a good starting point though.

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Good Luck!

Leslie Fearn

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Leslie has over 15 years Recruitment experience helping blue-chip corporates to SME businesses recruit for their Finance teams.  As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy, a Specialist HR and Finance Recruiter across the Thames Valley and London, he is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today.  Follow his helpful tweets on Twitter: @mcginnisloy

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If you found this subject of interest, you may also like the following related posts from Approachthemarket.co.uk

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10 Tips To Help You Cope With Redundancy

Unemployment Still Heading North

A Champagne Year For Mergers & Acquisitions

She had been made redundant over three months ago and this was a role she wanted.

The problem was Heather couldn’t make the interview, she was busy.

The line manager couldn’t fathom why if she was immediately available she couldn’t be there ‘immediately’, or in this case, the following afternoon at 2pm.

Now this post could be about priorities but instead it’s about expectation.

You see talking to Heather it was clear to me that since she had become unemployed several expectations had been placed upon her.

• Her family expected her to help out. Now she had more time, surely she could drop off an elderly relative to their health appointments? Could she simply pick up ‘x’ or wait in for ‘y’ delivery?
• She expected more of herself. She needed to ‘do’ something with this time off work. She was fitting in more exercise, writing more, studying for a further qualification to help her career and catching up with friends and old colleagues– after all she was networking.
• A friend who owned their own business also expected her to help them out when they offered her some casual work with them, after all they were willing to pay and provide a great testimonial.
• My expectation of her as a recruiter must also be included. Did I ‘expect’ her to want the job because she didn’t have one, or because it fit her ‘criteria’ or because she had been ‘chosen’ to?
• The line manager certainly expected her to show enough desire for their role that she would drop everything to meet them and why not?
• What about wider society, what do they expect? Aren’t you supposed to grab at opportunity with both hands? Pay your own way? Contribute? Find your bliss? Do what makes you happy?

You see you can’t get away from priorities after all. Heather needed to say ‘no’ more not less. The only person who could take such a decision is her.

If you are job seeking at the moment be aware of the expectations, are you trying to do too much? Why are you searching, what are your priorities and how is your time split accordingly?

Photo Credit

The Sound Of Silence

Is It Just Bad Manners?

Accountants And Social Media And The Jobsearch

Sarah Cooper has over 14 years Recruitment experience gained in both an internal and agency environment. As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy Ltd, specialist Finance and HR Recruiters, she is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today. Follow her tweets @approachmarket

The start of 2011 was positive with unemployment down by 88,000 but this was wiped out later in the year by an increase of 114,000.  The latest report from the ONS (Office of National Statistics)shows unemployment heading north again for the three months to October 2011.

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Their report focused a lot on the public sector, which since 2009 has lost 343,000 jobs across some key departments.  I didn’t realise that over half of the people employed in the public sector work in either the NHS or Education, and since 2009, there has been a 41,000 fall in employment within the NHS and 62,000 in Education.  Other big falls have come from Public Administration (113,000) and the Police & Armed Forces (30,000).  It is no surprise to me that there will be more pain to come, and McGinnis Loy itself has seen the numbers of applications increase substantially from public sector workers trying to secure roles in the private sector.

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Another key finding in their report talked about the number of part-timers in the UK workforce, which I reviewed in more detail last year in this article.  The number of people working in this field is still increasing year-on-year, yet the most interesting part of their message was that in 2011, 16% of them were also looking for a permanent opportunity (around 1 in 6 people), the highest since 2004.  Part-time workers currently account for 27% of the UK workforce, higher than Europe collectively (20%), but lower than the Netherlands, who at No 1 in the rankings, have 49% of their workforce working part-time.

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So, putting some of the bad news of 2011 to bed, what can we expect in 2012 for job-hunters and other readers here on Approachthemarket.com?  If you are looking for work right now, then my “4P” mantra talked about previously still applies – Preparation, Preparation, Preparation and bags of Perseverance.  According to a recent article by the CIPD, they expect total unemployment to hit 8.8% which is higher than now, but not as high as the peak in 1993 (something they failed to mention), so there is certainly hope.

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I believe one of the key things all job seekers will need to focus on in 2012 is being more aware of their competition, and how to deal with/manage it (who else is going for the same roles).  According to Totaljobs.com there has been a 42% increase in the number of job applications over the past year with the average number of applicants per job now standing at 23.  Whilst there are regional and sector-specific variations, the headline figures do show how competitive it has become.  Therefore, one positive thing you can do in 2012 is make sure your preparation of everything from the initial job application through to 2^nd/3^rd round interview preparation is done thoroughly and as specific as possible.  Knowing how to differentiate yourself from your competition will be a critical factor for 2012 – more on this in a future post.

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Back to the ONS report of December, I have dissected a number of the key findings from them below, and there is also an Audio commentary which you can listen to on You Tube if you prefer.  I acknowledge and credit the ONS in allowing me to use this public information – you can read more on the Labour Market Statistics at www.ons.gov.uk

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THE POSITIVES

• Private sector employment increased by 5,000 over the quarter
• Weekly earnings (between Aug & Oct 2011) were 2% higher than the same period a year ago
• Whilst the unemployment rate stands at 8.3%, this is not as bad as the 90’s recession when its peak was 10.7% in 1993
• From a European perspective, UK unemployment is still lower than that of the collective EU

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THE NEGATIVES

• UK unemployment between Aug 2011 and October 2011 rose, and now stands at 2.64 million people.
• This is another quarterly rise of 128,000 people who are now unemployed
• As of November 2011, people claiming job-related benefits rose 3,000 on the previous month.  The total receiving job-related benefits now stands at 1.60million
• Public sector employment fell by 67,000 over the quarter
• The employment rate currently stands at 70.3% of the working population (it was 70.5% last quarter)
• There were 455,000 open vacancies across the UK between Sept and Nov 2011 (down by 8,000 on the previous quarter)

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Best wishes

Leslie Fearn

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Leslie has over 15 years Recruitment experience helping blue-chip corporates to SME businesses recruit for their Finance teams.  As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy, a Specialist HR and Finance Recruiter across the Thames Valley and London, he is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today.  Follow his helpful tweets on Twitter: @McGinnisLoy

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Photo Credit

If you found this subject of interest, you may also like the following related posts from Approachthemarket.co.uk

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Ten Tips To Help You Cope With Redundancy

SWOT Analysis For Your Career

10 Of Britains Best Paid Jobs

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There is a whole library of information we have written about on Social Media (use the search box to find other articles), and the once the hardest part is done – setting up accounts, configuring settings and arranging alerts, it is then quite easy to get job-related information sent to you automatically.  Linked-In for instance allows you to “follow” companies you may be interested in working for; search for or receive alerts to roles as they become available; and connect with colleagues, ex-colleagues and other professionals in your sector and Twitter is no different.  Many of the FTSE100 companies have now started to use Twitter to interact with their job-seeking audience, using it as another recruiting platform.

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As the list below gets longer, you can see how some FTSE companies have very active and informative Twitter streams, and others are just non-existent.   Interestingly, businesses such as AB Foods, Lonmin, Morrisons and British American Tobacco have yet to even set up an account (or one that I could find), which being some of the largest companies in the UK I find astonishing. For some of the companies I have not been able to find a Twitter account, so if you manage to find one, please let me know so I can update this post which will help other readers.

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I hope you find the list of interest, and if you are keen to work for any of the companies, just click on the green “follow” button next to their Twitter name, then all their news will come directly into your Twitter account.

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60 FTSE100 UK Companies with Twitter Accounts To Follow:

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Admiral Group – Insurance Services (@AdmiralGroup)

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Aggreko – Power & Temperature Control Solutions (@Aggreko_Intl)

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AMEC – International Engineering Business (@amecworldwide)

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AngloAmerican – Mining & Natural Resources Group (@aauk)

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Antofagasta – International Mining Company (no twitter account)

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ARM Holdings – SemiConductor IP Business (no twitter account)

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Ashmore Group – Investment Management (@AshmoreEM)

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Associated British Foods – Food & Ingredients Group (no twitter account)

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AstraZeneca – International Pharmaceutical Company (@joinastrazeneca)

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Aviva PLC – Insurance & Financial Services Business (@AvivaCareers)

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BAE Systems – Defence & Aerospace Systems (@BAESystemsplc)

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Barclays – Financial Services & Banking (@BarCorp_News)

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BG Group – Global Gas Exploration, Production and Storage Business (@BGGroup)

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BHP Billiton – Global Mining, Oil & Gas Company (no twitter account)

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BP PLC – International Oil & Gas Company (no twitter account)

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British American Tobacco – International Tobacco Group (no twitter account)

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British Land Company – UK Property Investment Business (@BritishLandPLC)

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BSkyB / Sky – TV / Media Business (@workforsky)

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BT PLC – Corporate Telecoms Business (@btcareers)

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Bunzl – Distribution & Outsourcing Solutions (@BunzlDist)

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Burberry Group- Luxury Fashion Business (@Burberry)

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Cairn Energy – Oil & Gas Exploration Company (no twitter account)

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Capita PLC – Technology Outsourcing Business (@JobsatCapita)

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Capital Shopping Centres – Developer & Owner of UK Shopping Centres

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Carnival – International Cruise & Leisure Company (@carnivalukjobs)

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Centrica – Integrated Energy Business (@centricaplc)

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Compass – Foodservice & Support Services (@compassgroupuk)

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Diageo PLC – World Leading Drinks Business (@Diageo_News)

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Essar Energy – Integrated Energy Company (@EssarGroup)

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ENRC – Natural Resources Company (no twitter account)

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Experian – Global Information Services (@Experian_UK)

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Fresnillo – Silver & Gold Mining Company (@Fresnilloplc)

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G4S – International Security Solutions Group (@G4SCareers)

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GKN – Global Engineering Group (no twitter account)

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GlaxoSmithKline – Global Pharma & Healthcare Business (@gskjobs)

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Glencore International – Worldwide Commodity Producer (@GlencoreUK)

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Hammerson – Retail Real Estate Company (@Hammersonplc)

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Hargreaves Lansdown – Financial Services Provider (no twitter account)

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HSBC Bank – Global Retail & Business Banking (@HSBC_UK_Careers)

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ICAP – Financial Services Broker (no twitter account)

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IMI – Global Engineering Group (no twitter account)

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Imperial Tobacco – International Tobacco Business (@imptobrecruit)

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Inmarsat – Satellite Communications Business (@inmarsat_plc)

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Intercontinental Hotels – Global Hotel Chain (@IHGPLC)

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International Consolidated Airlines - (@British_Airways)

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International Power – Power Generation Company (no twitter account)

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Intertec Group – Quality & Safety Solutions Business (no twitter account)

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Investec – Property, Investment & Banking Company (@investecam_uk)

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ITV – Commercial Television Network (@ITVCareers)

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Johnson Matthey – Specialist Chemicals Company (no twitter account)

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Kazakhmys – Natural Resources Group (no twitter account)

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Kingfisher – Home Improvement & DIY Retailer (@kingfisherplc)

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Land Securities – Commercial Property Business (@landsecurities)

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Legal & General – Risk, Savings & Investment Provider (@landg_group)

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Lloyds Banking Group – Financial Services & Banking (@LloydsBankingGp)

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Lonmin – Platinum & Metals Producer (No twitter account)

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Meggitt – Global Engineering Group (No twitter account)

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Marks & Spencer – Food & Clothing Retailer (@marksandspencer)

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Morrison – Supermarket Chain (No twitter account)

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National Grid – Electricity & Gas Company (@nationalgriduk)

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Best wishes

Leslie Fearn

Leslie has over 15 years Recruitment experience helping blue-chip corporates to SME businesses recruit for their Finance teams.  As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy, a Specialist HR and Finance Recruiter across the Thames Valley and London, he is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today.  Follow his helpful tweets on Twitter: @McGinnisLoy

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Photo Credit

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If you found this subject of interest, you may also like the following related posts from Approachthemarket.co.uk

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Secret Of Your Job Search Success

Accounting Institutes And The Job Search

Top Tips To Help You Cope With Redundancy

Recently I have been immersed in futuristic recruitment articles and it got me thinking: what does all this mean to the jobseeker?

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If forewarned is forearmed -

Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory. Miguel de Cervantes

How can it help you?

So here below are some noticeable themes that seemed to have emerged and some thoughts on how perhaps you could take the advantage:

• Mobile.  The number of smartphones have exploded and employers are getting wise to the fact that we are surfing the web on the go. There are many apps out there to help you job search on your phone and company career apps to enable you to learn more about the organisation and apply. Make sure you have an accessible mobile version of your CV to send and be ready to respond.Instead of flinging birds, fending off zombies or building words with friends, maximise your proactive research time.

• Community and Networking. Many companies are trying to build community talent pools to attract passive talent. This means more social media activity within your chosen industry. It’s therefore essential to build your online profile and to participate. Attract employers to you rather than applying to them.Build your network for life. Continue to interact with your peer group, past connections and people you have synergy with. Many believe the future of work will head towards collaboration projects and emphasis or who you know will just become stronger.

• Video. You can see video blogs and product shorts almost everywhere. The quality of video interview has increased and even video job descriptions are on the scene.We are becoming much more visual in the way we process information. To that extent, a video CV could work for you. InovateCV is well worth a visit.

• Candidate Experience. Finally it seems this issue has made it onto the agenda. Companies are starting to see the link between their recruitment experience and their brand. Be ready to give an opinion. Let your favourite organisations know what they are doing right whilst in the process. Encourage them. If polled, questioned or canvassed give quality feedback where you can to help them to get better and shape their future process. It’s hard sometimes, but don’t use the opportunity to just moan, make suggestions of what would work better and ultimately make the difference to you, be part of the solution.

Photo Credit

Lies Aren’t White Or Little In Recruitment

Is It Just Bad Manners?

Cutting Out The Recruiter

Sarah Cooper has over 14 years Recruitment experience gained in both an internal and    agency environment. As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy Ltd, specialist Finance and HR Recruiters, she is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today. Follow her tweets @approachmarket

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I have also written a number of posts specifically for job seekers looking to work in large corporate businesses, focusing on FTSE100 companies.  Many have their own career pages and jobs you can apply to on their main website, but a lot have also moved onto Twitter too.  As well as getting information and news about their products and services onto the web in an instant, Twitter is also a means to attract potential employees.  As I couldn’t find a list of employers with Twitter accounts all in one place, I thought it would be a good idea to make a start of doing it here!

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Whilst some companies have very active and informative Twitter streams which could help you decide if the company is one you would want to work for, others have not been used for a long time and tell you very little.  Interestingly, businesses such as AB Foods and British American Tobacco have yet to even set up an account (or one that I could find), which being one of the largest corporate’s in the UK I found puzzling.  As you read through the companies therefore, you will notice that some do not have a Twitter account listed.  If you manage to find one that is relevant for job seekers, do please let me know so that I can update this post….

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So far, I have managed to find the Twitter accounts for the first 30 FTSE companies in alphabetical order. I will keep adding to the list in the next few weeks and update it here for you, then you will be able to “follow” all companies in the FTSE100 who have Twitter accounts with job-related content.

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30 FTSE100 UK Companies with Twitter Accounts To Follow:

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Admiral Group – Insurance Services (@AdmiralGroup)

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Aggreko – Power & Temperature Control Solutions (@Aggreko_Intl)

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AMEC – International Engineering Business (@amecworldwide)

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AngloAmerican – Mining & Natural Resources Group (@aauk)

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Antofagasta – International Mining Company (no twitter account)

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ARM Holdings – SemiConductor IP Business (no twitter account)

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Ashmore Group – Investment Management (@AshmoreEM)

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Associated British Foods – Food & Ingredients Group (no twitter account)

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AstraZeneca – International Pharmaceutical Company (@joinastrazeneca)

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Aviva PLC – Insurance & Financial Services Business (@AvivaCareers)

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BAE Systems – Defence & Aerospace Systems (@BAESystemsplc)

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Barclays – Financial Services & Banking (@BarCorp_News)

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BG Group – Global Gas Exploration, Production and Storage Business (@BGGroup)

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BHP Billiton – Global Mining, Oil & Gas Company (no twitter account)

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BP PLC – International Oil & Gas Company (no twitter account)

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British American Tobacco – International Tobacco Group (no twitter account)

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British Land Company – UK Property Investment Business (@BritishLandPLC)

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BSkyB / Sky – TV / Media Business (@workforsky)

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BT PLC – Corporate Telecoms Business (@btcareers)

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Bunzl – Distribution & Outsourcing Solutions (@BunzlDist)

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Burberry Group- Luxury Fashion Business (@Burberry)

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Cairn Energy – Oil & Gas Exploration Company (no twitter account)

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Capita PLC – Technology Outsourcing Business (@JobsatCapita)

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Capital Shopping Centres – Developer & Owner of UK Shopping Centres

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Carnival – International Cruise & Leisure Company (@carnivalukjobs)

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Centrica – Integrated Energy Business (@centricaplc)

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Compass – Foodservice & Support Services (@compassgroupuk)

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Diageo PLC – World Leading Drinks Business (@Diageo_News)

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Essar Energy – Integrated Energy Company (@EssarGroup)

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ENRC – Natural Resources Company (no twitter account)

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Best wishes

Leslie Fearn

Leslie has over 15 years Recruitment experience helping blue-chip corporates to SME businesses recruit for their Finance teams.  As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy, a Specialist HR and Finance Recruiter across the Thames Valley and London, he is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today.  Follow his helpful tweets on Twitter: @McginnisLoy

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Photo Credit

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If you found this subject of interest, you may also like the following related posts from Approachthemarket.co.uk

.

Secret Of Your Job Search Success

Accounting Institutes And The Job Search

Top Tips To Help You Cope With Redundancy

Rather than death by Powerpoint, we as a group discussed the frustrations we felt as candidates dealing with agencies. Unsurprisingly the white board soon filled up most of the gripes could be broken into the following areas:

• Response – complete lack of, tone, generic responses and lack of empathy
• Secrecy – cloak and dagger approach, mistrust, fake jobs
• Pressure – ‘salesy’ approach, aggressiveness, agency rivalry
• Integrity – lies, false hope, broken promises

We then turned to understanding more about how a recruitment agency operates, we discussed how some figures published suggest only 10% of all vacancies actually go through agencies and the changing role they have in today’s jobsearch. We covered the following points:

• Different types: head-hunters, contingency, in-house, RPO
• Position in the chain in a changing recruitment landscape – move towards direct hire, sourcing- finding the few not attracting the many. How far away many agency recruiters actually are from the hiring manager and how many pairs of hands a job spec now goes through.
• Volume – the sheer numbers of applicants applying and being held in large company applicant tracking systems. How debilitating that was and how automated responses had become in turn.
• Turnover – the fact that during this recession so far it has been estimated that over 5000 recruitment consultants had lost their jobs. How they are paid, the pressure many are under and the various target elements of many of their roles.
• ‘People’ – how some of the same attitudes directed toward recruiters could also be applied to candidates. How candidates often stop communicating, let people down at interview stage, lie and can also be aggressive, focusing their anger and frustration on the consultant.

We then looked at possible solutions:

• Relationships are two ways. Looking at how to cultivate them, build trust. To identify who as a candidate you want to work with. Use linkedin to identify ‘good’ recruiters. Look at tenure, specialisms, feedback. Ask what you can do to help them, as well as what they can do for you. Be a ‘good’ candidate, communicate well, have a great attitude, bags of enthusiasm and know what you want.
• Focus on what you actually need, be proactive. Identify people you wish to work with, target the roles and organisations you want. Network in your chosen industry community. Make sure every application is targeted and tailored. Always be relevant. When you identify a weakness work to improve in that area. Get on LinkedIn, get found by the opportunities instead of chasing them. Make sure you have a complete up to date profile in order to appear further up in Recruiter search results. Make sure you are using the keywords Recruiters are searching on in your chose field. Use tools such as Wordle to identify what those keywords could be.  http://www.wordle.net/
• Get a commitment  and timescale for action. Try to identify timescales, when are the CVs to be submitted. When will the client review, what will the process be? Put in calls at these specific points, allow flexibility and understand when they are chasing and when points have past.
• Get it in writing. Make sure the agency is engaged on the job in the first place, or will your application be speculative? One way to do this is to make sure you receive a job spec of some description before your CV is submitted. Make sure you have registered in some way and that they have gained your commitment to look for work on your behalf.  Ask to see the CV they have sent to the client, has your information been reformatted?
• Be prepared. Do your research; make the effort every time and work together with the consultant to put your best application forward.

At the end of the day if you are really unhappy and feel mistreated by your Recruiter, complain. Changes in industry will not come about through inaction. You can complain directly online to the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation), your complaint cannot be anonymous and must be made within a year of the incident happening.

I had a really good afternoon. I met a group of really smart, great people, all with the right attitude to jobsearch, it was a testament to just how difficult the market has become.

If I can help your jobsearch further in anyway get in touch, you can email me at sarah@approachthemarket.com tweet me at @approachmarket or simply pick up a phone 01189 886644.

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Sarah Cooper has over 14 years Recruitment experience gained in both an internal and agency environment. As one of the founding Directors of McGinnis Loy Ltd, specialist Finance and HR Recruiters, she is still actively recruiting in the marketplace today. Follow her tweets @approachmarket