Monthly Archives: October 2009

How to recruit the right finance candidate

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2008 saw the financing world dramatically hit by global economics, subsequently leading to a market where employees in banking jobs chose to stay in their current roles and jobseekers opportunities were reduced with hiring volumes greatly diminishing and supply far outweighing demand.

As an employer this provides you the opportunity when recruiting for finance jobs to pick from a highly competitive and meticulous job seeking market where more than ever before the demand for highly skilled, experienced professionals is expected and needed. 2009 has been a year of recovery and whilst job volumes have stayed relatively low, the financial sector has stabilised with permanent and temporary recruitment particularly in the financial control sector. Studies have shown that in spite of the economic downturn, there is still a skills shortage so finding the right candidate can be testing. Choosing a specialist professional recruitment consultancy to fulfill your recruitment project should provide you with a solution to meet your needs.

The right recruitment consultancy will help give you a competitive edge and find the right candidate for areas covering financial control, product control, audit, systems projects, treasury, tax, compliance disciplines to name but a few. They should be able to identify a candidate that will optimise your business performance and achieve the job role required of them. They will also be able to advise you on a range of market issues including salary surveys, organisational planning, payroll, contractual matters and training support. A good recruitment consultant will be trained to understand their market fully and their clients recruitment objectives and create and deliver a personalised service.

When choosing a recruitment consultancy it is wise to find out some key information. Consider their experience, how long they have been established, what their core values, vision and mission are. What benefits they can offer you as a client?  What their recruitment solutions are and how do they generate the right candidates? Ensure that you choose one that is expert at placing accountants at all levels of business from part qualified to finance directors to ensure you are paying for a service that will greatly reward you with the candidate you deserve.

Exploring the idea of Working Abroad

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I have often considered leaving the UK. There have been numerous times, as I sit at my work desk looking out of the window watching the rain pour down that I have felt slightly depressed at the reality of the winter season. But I am not alone, we all have our cross to bear and being a UK resident is often one of them. This doesn’t have to be the case though, as more and more people are deciding to move abroad the opportunities are increasing and becoming more tangible, especially if you have a skill set that is transferrable and in demand. Moving abroad not only provides you with an opportunity of a lifetime, gaining cultural experience and a diverse lifestyle but can also provide you with strong career development opportunities if you choose wisely.

Many employers regard candidates who have gained experience with international jobs as highly employable due to the experience and versatility they can demonstrate, so when the time is right to move back to the UK (if ever) your overseas credentials will work in your favour. Jobs abroad can be difficult to locate, so one of the best ways to find them is to contact a UK recruitment agency that specialises in your field of work. Many reputable companies abroad source agencies in the UK for them to find talented personnel through international recruitment. The agency will be able to present you with a range of choices and advise, from opportunities across countries and continents, market conditions, how to maximize your international experience to further your career and help you to prepare for the move. They can also identify job opportunities for your partner if this is a consideration.

Many misconceptions surround the opportunity of working abroad; one of the leading myths is that you have to be senior in your field of expertise. This is not necessarily true, international job opportunities can exist at all levels from newly qualified to Director/Partner. The main attributes an agency will look for is a confident personality, excellent interpersonal skills along with some international awareness and understanding of cultural and business practices.

How to pick the right advertising agency for your business

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Most of us are aware of our own strengths and weaknesses and it can be frustrating knowing we aren’t specialists in every field of business. The key thing to remember is no one is and it is increasingly common for businesses small and large to enlist the services of an external advertising agency to help expand and diversify their business. But how do you find one that you can trust to work hard for you and get you results? When choosing the right one for your business it is critical to consider the following factors:

1.      Are they going to meet all of your requirements? Not just now, but in the future too. An agency that only specialises in one discipline could be quite limiting and you may find yourself having to deal with multiple agencies for different projects. For example, you may enlist the services of an agency that specialises in web design, they create an all singing, all dancing website but they have no expertise in optimizing the site, so know one ever finds you in the search engines. If you were to opt for an advertising agency that specialises in all disciplines, the optimization of the site would be considered during the design stage and the ongoing SEO would be offered to you as an additional service they can provide: One agency, covering two critical (but interlinking) jobs. Look into full service advertising agencies to cover all disciplines.

2.      Look at agencies that are well established and are specialists in your field. It will give you the peace of mind that they understand your business and have the experience and expertise to get you the best results.

3.      Shop around. Don’t just go with the first you find. Make sure you have a list of potential agencies and let them compete for your business.

4.      Arrange for them to present to you. Pick 3 or 4 agencies that you think will match your criteria the best and get them in for a presentation.

5.      Pick one. Once all have presented to you, you will get a feel for which one you think understands your business the most, has identified areas of growth and are going to be the best to work with.

Remember, advertising agencies are there to make a positive difference to your company and should work closely with you at all times to ensure they are meeting with your brief.