Lisa Sampson

Lisa Sampson

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about job hunting that we are using online job boards increasingly to attract new candidates. And in this increasingly employer led market, this should be a good thing!

In principle it is. We all know that most bosses know that you only look at the printed editions of Marketing or Marketing Week to see if you know anyone in there or to look for a job. So looking online is infinitely more discreet and it’s super easy to whizz off a quick application for the job of your dreams.

But therein lies the rub - it is almost too easy, and many candidates seem to be sending us their CVs without considering whether their applications actually are remotely relevant for the job. I am very impressed if you have been the highest achieving car salesman in your dealership every year for the last 15, or having an impeccable record in delivering high quality jam at the factory down the road, but unfortunately we can only help candidates with a track record in direct and digital marketing. That is our specialism and our vacancies we advertise will fall into this category.

At the other end of the spectrum, I do have prospective candidates calling to ask whether their experience is relevant when clearly they are spot on for my client’s requirements!

So do have a serious think about whether it’s worth wasting your time applying for the job. On the whole you are going to need in the region of 80% of the requirements detailed in the job description to be in with a serious chance. And if you do fit the bill, please make sure you highlight how your experience matches my requirements - and just have a quick double check before you click “Send” in haste, that your covering letter is in fact referring to the job I’ve advertised and not the previous one you saw…..

Lisa Sampson

I’m finding it really frustrating to read constantly about all the financial doom and gloom around. Now I’m not totally out of touch, I do appreciate there are tricky times ahead, but surely there is some benefit to be had in at least trying to think positively and acting on the presumption that everything really will be ok?

We are actually having a really busy year. It has been immeasurably better than last year, with many clients ditching their “recruitment freeze” and recognising that they’ll never see any growth without the human resource to support their plans. We’ve seen promotions happen, even the odd pay rise in an existing job! So I’d say that actually the recruitment market has been pretty positive this year.

Obviously it remains to be seen what happens as the full impact of the imminent public sector cuts are felt across the industry (COI making a 40% cut to their workforce being just the start), not to mention how the VAT increase next year impacts on consumer spending and the resultant recruitment slowdown that may or may not fall out from that. We’ll have to wait and see.

Meantime let’s take comfort from the fact that so far this year has been a good one. Let’s apply some positive spin and see if we can’t keep it all moving. Continue to recruit for the roles you need to fill. Don’t hold back on looking for a new job. Let’s see if we can’t keep the recruitment market at least moving in an upwards direction.

Lisa Sampson

I had an experience at work recently which made me think about the relationships and trust we recruiters need to have with our candidates. It was a little frustrating it has to be said .One of my candidates, who isn’t working, cancelled an interview we’d arranged for her at the last minute. She communicated this to me entirely by email, provided a vague and somewhat unsatisfactory excuse as to why she couldn’t make it, wouldn’t answer my calls and seemed reluctant to reschedule. This left me in a very difficult position with my client.

The problem with this is that it doesn’t give our clients a very good impression of our service when we can’t present them with all the facts and the full story. We want to represent you, our candidate, in the most positive light, we really do. We want to present you to them as effectively as we possibly can because we want you to get a job!  After all, we’ve invested our time in interviewing you and we are putting our reputation on the line when we send your CV to our clients and, at the end of the day, our clients choose Direct Recruitment because of the quality of our service and the people we present to them – you, our lovely candidates.

So please just keep us informed! Pick up the phone, explain what else you’ve got going on, provide plenty of notice and be completely honest with us. We pride ourselves on our consultancy service, providing you with guidance and support and helping to make those difficult decisions, but we need open two way communication for this to happen. If we have all the facts at our finger tips, we can be much more effective in representing you. 

Lisa Sampson

I was reading another article in The Observer last weekend about the frustrations of being out of work, which struck a chord as rumours abound that yet another one of my clients may go into administration this week.

The article was pitched as a huge whinge against our parents’ generation - how they got all the best pensions, a free education and great jobs whilst current graduates have massive student debt, no graduate opportunities and a huge black hole in GB plc’s balance sheet.

Well yes, I can see the writer’s point - especially as he’s been made redundant twice in his relatively short career so far. I understand the frustration of studying for 3 years, gaining some valuable work experience and then, through no fault of your own, ending up out of work. And again.

Of course redundancy is horribly frustrating, and as recruiters we do wish we could magic jobs out of thin air for you. But I’m afraid we can’t - but you can take some level of responsibility for getting back into work. From my professional experience, here are some thoughts as to how you can maximise your chances of getting back into work ASAP.

• Stay positive, especially in an interview. I know this is easier said than done but my goodness it comes across. There is nothing so off-putting as a candidate with an air of desperation, anger or resentment about him/her.
• Do a skills analysis - you now have the time to sit back and think very carefully about what you have done and what you can do. Once you start writing a list of all your achievements, you’ll impress yourself with how brilliant you are - don’t forget it!
• If you can, find something that you can do for free that is related to the industry. Blog, submit articles to the press, do placements, train graduates - anything you can to give you that edge.
• Make sure you read the press so you can demonstrate you are up-to-date with developments in your sector (you can do so online or even in libraries, so not having it arriving on your desk weekly paid for by your employer is no excuse!).
• For goodness sake do something constructive with your newfound free time. Volunteer for a local charity, redecorate your house, take up tap-dancing - anything that is interesting to talk about in interview. It’s soul destroying for you and your interviewer if you have nothing at all to say about the months when you’ve been out of work.
• And of course when you do secure an interview, make sure you do your research. You have the time so there is no excuse. Scour the potential employer's website, google them, look on LinkedIn, see if you can get hold on their annual reports, talk to your personal network. Your time will have been very well spent as you dazzle with your background knowledge.
• Finally, get it off your chest. Talk to others in similar situations, cry in the pub with your mates, howl at the moon - whatever it takes. You never what sort of inspiration, opportunity or therapy can come out of a good chat.

I do really really hate to (mis-)quote an anthem from a Labour party conference, but things can only get better. They really will.

Lisa Sampson

I think I’m really lucky. I work part time. When I returned to work after my maternity leave, I was very fortunate that when I asked if I might be able to work a 4 day week instead of 5 my line manager and MD agreed. I love coming to work and I also love spending time with my daughter, moreover I love that I am able to retain a healthy work life balance.

Of course I couldn’t achieve this without the support of my colleagues who, very capably, take up the reins on the day I’m not at my desk.

But what about everyone else? Why just mums and not dads? Not to mention those who wish to reclaim a sensible work life balance for a whole raft of other reasons? We are increasingly hearing requests for part-time roles, or working hours that fit around school runs, training courses, property development projects or a plethora of other extra curricular activities.

Surely in these pressing economic times, it makes perfect sense to recruit skilled professionals on a part-time basis? Indeed many high profile organisations have offered unpaid career breaks or reduced hours to trim labour costs whilst maintaining a skilled workforce in place.

And you can guarantee that anyone who does willingly work part time will be motivated, organised and focused. I’ve only had 2 or 3 briefs from clients for part-timers in the 9 years I’ve worked at Direct Recruitment, yet frequent requests from job seekers to work part time. So how about totally overhauling the way we look at our staffing requirements, and consider hiring part time workers as well as permanent and contract options?

Let’s use this recession as an opportunity for a real sea change in work life balance.