Jobsite

With only a week to go until the start of TruLondon5 we asked TruEvents founder and keynote speaker Bill Boorman for his take on what you can expect from the event…

“Thanks to Jobsite, it’s time for #trulondon again. Those of you who have been to the event before, you have an idea what you are in for. For those of you who will be turning up for the first time, this is a guide as to what to expect from your first unconference.

An unconference is about choice and conversation. You choose what tracks you want to attend, what you want to talk about, how much you want to listen and when you want to move on and do something different. You decide when you want coffee, when you want lunch and what you want from the experience.

You’re not going to be told what to do, although there is a host this year to tell you from the main room what is going on. We are expecting 140 participants coming from 14 countries. From as far away as South Africa and the U.S.A. #Trulondon has become a global event!

There are 50 track leaders who have asked to host tracks, with something for everyone. The role of the track leader is to start the conversation, not to control it. Tracks are arranged around broad themes, although this year we have also included 12 case studies ranging from Barclays Graduates to Oracle EMEA. There’s a mix of recruiting, HR, technology, digital marketing, the graduate application process (from graduates), research papers, sourcing and more. New this time around we’ve also got a live lab with two days of building a model career site, from concepts to a reference site. It’s a bit of a hack. Continue reading “#TruLondon : A Survivor’s Guide” »

The countdown to TruLondon5 begins! The Jobsite sponsored unconference starts on 22nd February…and we’re getting quite excited! This event promises to be even bigger and bolder than before with a wide range of International track leaders drawn from the fields of Recruitment, HR, Technology and Digital Engagement.

Check out our dedicated TruLondon5 site – the only destination you will need if you want to follow all the action and conversation! As in previous years we will also be livestreaming the big discussions on 22nd February and bringing you some of the top blogs before and after the unconference.

The conversations at TruLondon5 will cover a wide range of topics and we will be posting guest blogs from some of the trackleaders later this week. Some have already written their own blogs aimed at starting the discussions pre-event. Here are 3 to check out to whet your appetite:

HR, Job Creation and an Economic Imperative – HR Director and blogger Neil Morrison will be leading discussions on the role HR can play in stimulating job creation and in this blog he start the debate early. ‘Think about the opportunities that exist, think about the creation of quality internships, think about taking advantage of apprenticeships, stop moaning about the lack of graduate skills and start thinking about what your business can do to train and develop the future generation. Think about taking a risk’ he urges whilst challenging his fellow HR professional to take up the challenge. Continue reading “Getting Ready for TruLondon5” »

We’re excited to announce that next month Jobsite will be launching a new form of candidate attraction activity as part of our continued commitment to reaching the right people for our clients’ vacancies.

From the 1st March, for 4 weeks, Jobsite adverts will be seen on the back of train tickets purchased from these stations across the UK:

• Aberdeen
• Edinburgh – Waverly
• Glasgow – Queen Street & Argyle Street
• Birmingham – New Street
• Bradford Interchange
• Cardiff Central
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Liverpool Lime Street
• Manchester Piccadilly
• Newcastle
• Nottingham
• Sheffield
• London – Paddington, Euston & Victoria

This media hasn’t been available since 2004 and we’re one of the first brands to take advantage of its return.

Why have we signed up to this?

•  It’s wide reaching with over 3 million tickets being issued during the 4 weeks

• It provides great access to the people we want to be talking to:

- 63% of people on trains are travelling for work

- 67% of train travellers work full time with a further 6% working part time

- 77% of people on trains are ABC1

- 66% are aged between 25-54

- There’s an equal male/female audience split

Continue reading “New advertising activity for Jobsite” »

The interview process is increasingly becoming a lengthy, highly detailed and in some cases stressful experience for candidates. We all have our nightmare interview stories, but hearing some of the experiences of candidates it seems to be that it is standard practice now for candidates to be very flexible and go out of their way for a job they have no guarantee of getting.

How often as a candidate have you been asked to attend a lengthy interview process of several hours, do a telephone interview outside normal business hours, travel to the company’s head quarters miles away from where the job is based or be subjected to high numbers of interviews for the same role.

The problems these nightmare interview practises create amount to the fact that if you are unemployed and seeking a new job, you may not be able to afford things like long distance travel at short notice. Equally if you are employed and are seeking to change your job, you may not have the time – either holiday or personal, to get to interviews at short notice or take part in a longer process.

But should you have to do this? Should candidates expect to have to be more flexible in their approach to interviews and be prepared to exceed the normal level of commitment in order to land that job?

We asked Phil Roebuck, Chief Executive of Webrecruit, for some tips to help try and get around and avoid those nightmare interviews:

Be proactive

Ask questions such as “Why do I need to travel there?”, “Is it necessary to travel there?” but whilst retaining a degree of professionalism and seeming flexible. It may be there is a simple reason which makes you feel better about the need to travel so far. It could also give you an indication as to how you are faring in the interview process, i.e. are they asking you to travel to the head office to meet the rest of the team before making a job offer. Continue reading “The Job Hunt: How far would you go to get the job you want?” »

There are many benefits in using social media within your job hunt, but one that is often overlooked is the information that you can get from following bloggers.

Many HR and recruitment professionals write regular blogs, and they often offer invaluable insight into the recruitment and hiring process, giving the job seeker a chance to see how their interviewers see things.

A lot of recruiters also offer their thoughts on how candidates can improve their chances of being considered for a role and of getting feedback from, and interaction with, the people involved in the hiring process. We read one such blog today from US recruiter Amy Ala in which she offers some advice for making sure that your application doesn’t get stuck in the process…and most of her points echo those made by other recruiters.

The four key actions to follow are:

Know What You Can Do

What are you good at? What training have you had and what skills have you developed? Where can you have a positive impact? Many of these questions are those that you should ask yourself when writing your CV and certainly when applying for roles. Your chances of making a shortlist will be enhanced if you are applying for roles that match your skills and capabilities.

Be Selective

A common complaint from recruiters is over the volume of applications for each role. They know that in the current jobs market there are many people looking for work and applying to vacant positions, but when they are trying to fill a specific role they want to be able to focus on those who have relevant skills.

It isn’t easy, but the process will be helped if you target the vacancies and companies that best suit the person you identified in point 1…you!

Contact the Recruiter

It may seem that we’re going out a bit on a limb with this one, but many recruiters do respond to contact…provided you are a good match for the role and can demonstrate it. If you are using social media in your search then LinkedIn could be a starting point as you can find the relevant person and see if you have any connections that may be able to introduce you. Don’t start sending invites through LinkedIn if you haven’t a connection though…use the contact information that the recruiter gives in their profile.

Sometimes an e-mail, even a phone call, can get through…provided you can show that you have the skills and abilities to do the job, and have done your homework on the company. After all, the recruiter wants to get the right person to fill the role as soon as possible. Try and make their life easier!

Patience

Maybe the hardest part of all is the waiting. You don’t know if you’re being considered or not and the temptation is to start following up. This is particularly tough at the moment, as the volume of applications is high, so even if you are dealing with a recruiter who does get back to all candidates, it may take time.

Any follow up should be professional and courteous, and should re-affirm your relevance for the role. The key words Amy used for the right follow up approach were steady, consistent and positive.

Let us know how you’ve had success…

One of the findings in our recent Quarterly Recruitment Review was that there was a slight shift from passive job seeking to active. This could be due to concerns over a current role, or future of a current employer, or unfortunately an impending redundancy.

The shift from passive to active job seeking will usually require a change in mind-set and a different, more pro-active approach. It will also call for a mix of strategy, planning and relationships to help with your momentum. If you’re about to take the plunge, here are 5 things you should be doing:

Make Sure Your CV is Up to Date

This isn’t just about ensuring that your most recent job is included but taking a look at the whole CV and how it is presented. Follow the advice in our recent blog Four Questions to Think about When You Write Your CV and check that your skills, capabilities and achievements are clearly set out and demonstrate how you can add value and make a real difference. It needs to be your sales document so make sure that it plays to your strengths and that if you get in front of companies for interview you can make it come to life!

Check Your Social Media Profiles

Most potential employers will look at your LinkedIn profile…some recruiters spend half their time on the platform! Check that your skills and qualifications are up to date, and that you have some good recommendations…but not too many; it may give a signal that you’re thinking of moving on. Our recent post Are You Maximising Your LinkedIn Profile should help. Continue reading “Five Things to do if Your Job Hunt is Going Active” »