We can all agree that 2009 has been a tough year for everyone, but it's almost over and we need to look forward to 2010 with a degree of hope and look to the success that a new year usually brings.
On a personal note I will be starting a new job in January, I will be working as an International Business Development Manager at www.tiptopjob.com so if you would like to talk about having the ability to post jobs across 85 job boards globally with a single transaction give me a call on 0044 7796 381502 and let's talk.
As the global economy starts to pick up ( the UK will come out of official recession at some stage - we hope) and the US economy is already starting to pick up so let's make the most of a new decade and go to work again.
Merry Christmas to everyone and can I wish you all a prosperous and successful 2010
Anil.
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Why wait until January ?
The Christmas season is nearly upon us again ( once you pass 40 time speeds up !!!) this year many businesses will be looking forward to putting 2009 behind them and starting afresh in 2010. Many will return to work with new vigor and optimism that a new year always brings.
So if you are thinking of using your web site to attract talent into your business you need to speak to some one who understands how best to do this. There are ways of managing the expectations of applicants which need not cost the earth but which will enable you to attract quality talent at a reduced time and cost to hire, automate a great deal of candidate communication and position your business as an employer of choice.
Want to know more ? call me on 07796 381502 or anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk
So if you are thinking of using your web site to attract talent into your business you need to speak to some one who understands how best to do this. There are ways of managing the expectations of applicants which need not cost the earth but which will enable you to attract quality talent at a reduced time and cost to hire, automate a great deal of candidate communication and position your business as an employer of choice.
Want to know more ? call me on 07796 381502 or anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk
Monday, 9 November 2009
Meet fellow HR Professionals, have breakfast and see some award wining ATS software 19/11/09 London
It's almost here, on 19/11/09 Changework Now - www.changeworknow.co.uk will be hosting a breakfast seminar in London, This is not a "demo" it is an opportunity to meet with Fellow HR professionals, and listen to how our software is helping candidate have a good on line experience when they apply for a job. This means our clients are seen as employers of choice by applicants.
Join us call 07796 381502 or mail me at anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk for an invitation.
Join us call 07796 381502 or mail me at anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk for an invitation.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Breakfast in London ???
The organisation I work for Changework Now - www.changeworknow.co.uk is hosting a breakfast seminar on 19th November 2009 at the Landmark Hotel in London. If you are an HR Professional and would like to get a better understanding of why the candidate experience is vital when looking to attract talent to your business via your web site you are more than welcome to come along.
This is an invitation only event please call me o 07796 381502 or anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk to obtain an invitation.
Hope to meet you on the day.
Anil.
This is an invitation only event please call me o 07796 381502 or anil.aphale@changeworknow.co.uk to obtain an invitation.
Hope to meet you on the day.
Anil.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Why do recruitment agencies do it ?
As part of my job selling recruitment technology mainly in the form of Applicant Tracking solutions to corporate recruiters I have registered with a number of job boards to see what job alerts I get from them.
This was seen as a major step a few years ago when I worked on totaljobs.com as it was a way of recruiters getting relevant jobs to " passive " candidates when they may not have been actively looking to change their jobs. Since then the recruitment market has turned on it' s head and many ATS providers offer job alert facility as part of their functionality. This I would suggest is a better use of technology because if I apply to a particular company it is for a reason and a job alert will keep me in touch with an organisation I have actively said I want to work for.
On the job boards all that has happened is recruitment consultants have started to post the same job multiple times and the key words do not match the search string so this morning I have 3 job alert from totaljobs.com that contain over 50 vacancies for recruitment consultants. I have been a recruitment consultant and do not ant to be one again so all this has done is annoy me and make me write this post.
I just hope the recruitment company concerned is not paying for their postings - or do I .
This was seen as a major step a few years ago when I worked on totaljobs.com as it was a way of recruiters getting relevant jobs to " passive " candidates when they may not have been actively looking to change their jobs. Since then the recruitment market has turned on it' s head and many ATS providers offer job alert facility as part of their functionality. This I would suggest is a better use of technology because if I apply to a particular company it is for a reason and a job alert will keep me in touch with an organisation I have actively said I want to work for.
On the job boards all that has happened is recruitment consultants have started to post the same job multiple times and the key words do not match the search string so this morning I have 3 job alert from totaljobs.com that contain over 50 vacancies for recruitment consultants. I have been a recruitment consultant and do not ant to be one again so all this has done is annoy me and make me write this post.
I just hope the recruitment company concerned is not paying for their postings - or do I .
Friday, 16 October 2009
Communication - It's not rocket science - is it ?
We have all seen the older couple in a restaurant having a lovely 3 course meal that does not come cheap. The total communication between them is the odd comment on the dish they are eating and the odd comment on the weather. We all look at them and say " that will never happen to us" . But then we go back to our daily lives and we forget how to communicate with people.
Where am I going with this - Well let's look at the current situation here in the UK and being mirrored around the world - The economy is starting to recover and unemployment seems to be slowing down a little . However we all know that unemployment rises for about 18 months after the official end of a recession so there are lots of people looking for work. However recruitment never stopped even in the darkest days of the banking crisis there were still open vacancies that needed to be filled. Remember the news coverage of recruitment consultants meeting people as they left the London office of Lehman brothers with contracts ready to go.
Now lets look at how applicants are treated at the moment. The simple answer is not very well at all by a majority of corporate recruiters or staffing agencies. If some one a[plies for a job the least you can do is give them some kind of response. This can take the form of an automated e mail response saying that the next steps will take place in a certain timescale. If you make a promised KEEP it.
Alternatively you can invest some money in an Applicant Tracking Solution. These will enable you to manage the response you get to you open and speculative applications. Take candidates down a pre defined route and communicate all with the click of a mouse.
So here's the deal - Communicate with applicants. People just want to know where they stand it's not rocket science after all.
Where am I going with this - Well let's look at the current situation here in the UK and being mirrored around the world - The economy is starting to recover and unemployment seems to be slowing down a little . However we all know that unemployment rises for about 18 months after the official end of a recession so there are lots of people looking for work. However recruitment never stopped even in the darkest days of the banking crisis there were still open vacancies that needed to be filled. Remember the news coverage of recruitment consultants meeting people as they left the London office of Lehman brothers with contracts ready to go.
Now lets look at how applicants are treated at the moment. The simple answer is not very well at all by a majority of corporate recruiters or staffing agencies. If some one a[plies for a job the least you can do is give them some kind of response. This can take the form of an automated e mail response saying that the next steps will take place in a certain timescale. If you make a promised KEEP it.
Alternatively you can invest some money in an Applicant Tracking Solution. These will enable you to manage the response you get to you open and speculative applications. Take candidates down a pre defined route and communicate all with the click of a mouse.
So here's the deal - Communicate with applicants. People just want to know where they stand it's not rocket science after all.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Technology Sales - the need to understand a customers needs.
People will know by now that I make a living selling technology solutions in the Human Resources/ Talent Management / Human Capital Management space. I have been selling a range of solutions in this area for a number of years and one thing still surprises me. Most of the people I meet with are Human Resource professionals, they are very nice people and many have come to understand that technology can help them remove a lot of the administrative burden associated with recruiting good quality people for their organisations.
Where Sales People in this area let themselves down is assuming that the people they are meeting with are technology people. They are not and if sales people do not understand this simple fact they risk what could be a long term partnership relationship before they start.
The need for technology in the corporate recruitment sector is now greater than ever. There are around 2.5 million people 9 depending on which politician you believe) unemployed and this number is going to rise over the next 18 months, the real number may be higher and it will no doubt be over 3 million before long. This is bad for the people involved and many of them will have lost their jobs for the first time so they want to get back to work quickly ( I know when I was made redundant in January I was shell shocked but went directly to organisations I wanted to work with looking for a new position as soon as I could) .
But have you looked at a lot of corporate careers sites recently, organisations are getting a bigger response and the admin burden is growing, automating elements of this process saves time and money and gives employers the opportunity to build their brand and manage the expectations of potential applicants.
So why do so many technical sales people go to a meeting, open their lap top and start a demo with out actually asking what the HR people want to see and what they want to achieve from the meeting ? the answer is a lack of understanding of the market they are selling into, if you do not know what your prospect wants or needs how can you sell them something that is going to help them over come the challenges they face ? you will not !!
Now from my point of view I hope people continue how they are but beware the HR community is starting to become a very discerning group of people to sell to so I wish you luck.
Where Sales People in this area let themselves down is assuming that the people they are meeting with are technology people. They are not and if sales people do not understand this simple fact they risk what could be a long term partnership relationship before they start.
The need for technology in the corporate recruitment sector is now greater than ever. There are around 2.5 million people 9 depending on which politician you believe) unemployed and this number is going to rise over the next 18 months, the real number may be higher and it will no doubt be over 3 million before long. This is bad for the people involved and many of them will have lost their jobs for the first time so they want to get back to work quickly ( I know when I was made redundant in January I was shell shocked but went directly to organisations I wanted to work with looking for a new position as soon as I could) .
But have you looked at a lot of corporate careers sites recently, organisations are getting a bigger response and the admin burden is growing, automating elements of this process saves time and money and gives employers the opportunity to build their brand and manage the expectations of potential applicants.
So why do so many technical sales people go to a meeting, open their lap top and start a demo with out actually asking what the HR people want to see and what they want to achieve from the meeting ? the answer is a lack of understanding of the market they are selling into, if you do not know what your prospect wants or needs how can you sell them something that is going to help them over come the challenges they face ? you will not !!
Now from my point of view I hope people continue how they are but beware the HR community is starting to become a very discerning group of people to sell to so I wish you luck.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Recruitment Agency experiment - Now ended
So it's been about 3 weeks since I started this totally unscientific experiment and the simple fact is that many of the recruitment consultants in business today do not have the business development skills needed to survive in a competitive market.
The fact is that there are a number of good candidates on the market at the moment and this number will continue to rise as unemployment continues to rise. But a good consultant will take time now to make contact with good candidates and build a talent pool of people for when opportunities arise. After all this is what good corporate recruiters are doing and the companies that do this will be the ones that benefit when the economy comes back which it will because you know what it always does.
So if you want a good job apply direct to the companies that you want to work for, do some research , pick up the telephone and tell them you want to work for them, you have nothing to loose and you may get the job of your dreams.
Have a good weekend
The fact is that there are a number of good candidates on the market at the moment and this number will continue to rise as unemployment continues to rise. But a good consultant will take time now to make contact with good candidates and build a talent pool of people for when opportunities arise. After all this is what good corporate recruiters are doing and the companies that do this will be the ones that benefit when the economy comes back which it will because you know what it always does.
So if you want a good job apply direct to the companies that you want to work for, do some research , pick up the telephone and tell them you want to work for them, you have nothing to loose and you may get the job of your dreams.
Have a good weekend
Friday, 4 September 2009
Update and progress
I have left this a week to take into account the back holiday and give people an opportunity to come back from their holidays etc. The result Nada, Nothing, Zilch, naff all etc I am beginning to suspect that recruitment agencies now know who I am or they have all gone bust.
However respect is due to the direct corporate sector, I got invited to an interview ( bear in mind that yen company did not let me know anything in advance they just invited me to an interview. They are ( wait for it) and American company looking for people in London to sell their corporate lettings service this if you have not twigged yet is a posh way of saying that they felt I have the right credentials to be an estate agent !!!
On that note this experiment will have 1 week to go from today.
However respect is due to the direct corporate sector, I got invited to an interview ( bear in mind that yen company did not let me know anything in advance they just invited me to an interview. They are ( wait for it) and American company looking for people in London to sell their corporate lettings service this if you have not twigged yet is a posh way of saying that they felt I have the right credentials to be an estate agent !!!
On that note this experiment will have 1 week to go from today.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Update on the " great recruitment agency experiement"
So almost a week in and the only communication I have had was from an agency that had " the perfect" job for me. All I had to do was spend 20 minutes filling in the forms they e mailed to me so I could go on their database. Hoverer bear in mind that they go my CV from a CV database from a major job board and still they wanted me to fill in forms that were e mailed not a single telephone call.
I sell recruitment technology for a living and I have been fairly successful in this space for a few years now. But I am unable to make any sales or appointments without using the telephone to actually speak to people. Technology is wonderful and it is making our lives easier all the time I have a single device that I can use to communicate with people all over the world. BUT that is not really the point if I cannot be bothered to pick up that devise and use it for it most basic use its called a mobile TELEPHONE and it makes communication between 2 or more people easy wherever you are in the world.
So recruitment agencies use it .
More to follow.
I sell recruitment technology for a living and I have been fairly successful in this space for a few years now. But I am unable to make any sales or appointments without using the telephone to actually speak to people. Technology is wonderful and it is making our lives easier all the time I have a single device that I can use to communicate with people all over the world. BUT that is not really the point if I cannot be bothered to pick up that devise and use it for it most basic use its called a mobile TELEPHONE and it makes communication between 2 or more people easy wherever you are in the world.
So recruitment agencies use it .
More to follow.
Monday, 24 August 2009
The great recruitment agency response
Following on from the previous post where I have posted an up to date, honest , genuine CV to the top 4 job boards in the UK to see what feedback I get from recruitment agencies. Over the weekend nothing at all, just a lot of e mails from organisations who promise that they can give me the best CV in the world and that this will guarantee interviews.
Now here's the thing I actually paid a lot of money to have my CV professionally written by a firm when I lost mt my job in January so it;s kine of interesting that the people who write professional CV's cannot tell that mine has been professionally writer - Go Figure !!
So the upshot is that recruitment agencies are still not looking to job board CV databases for candidates in a candidate rich environment. This throws up another challenge where are job boards going to get revenue from if this very valuable stream dries up...
More in a couple of days time.......
Now here's the thing I actually paid a lot of money to have my CV professionally written by a firm when I lost mt my job in January so it;s kine of interesting that the people who write professional CV's cannot tell that mine has been professionally writer - Go Figure !!
So the upshot is that recruitment agencies are still not looking to job board CV databases for candidates in a candidate rich environment. This throws up another challenge where are job boards going to get revenue from if this very valuable stream dries up...
More in a couple of days time.......
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Update
The first consultancy has come back to me with a request foir me to fill in a detailed application form, this despite the fact that have taken my fully up to date, professionally written and laid out according to all the advice CV from a job board. Why should I then put all of the same information inyto an application form that suits there systems ???????
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Communication and how people are treated !!
I sell a range of Applicant Tracking and On Line recruitment solutions for a living, before you all click back or next read on for a bit because this is my take on a very unscientific experiment regarding the treatment of job seekers in this time when many many people are looking for work many through no fault of heir own.
So, in the past I have been very critical or recruitment and staffing agencies and how they treat applicants, I firmly believe that in this candidate environment an good recruitment consultant should be able to" fill their boots" but day after day the recruitment pres and hr press are full of horror stories from perfectly good candidates who have applied for jobs via web sites and job boards and find them selves having to fill in reams and reams of forms travel vast distances to meet consultants who do not seem to care about them and then are put forward for totally unsuitable vacancies and never hear anything back.
Foe the next few weeks I have posted my CV to 4 major UK jobboards and I am going to monitor the response i get in the form of any calls from agents, the way they speak to / treat me, the level of service they offer and the quality of jobs they suggest I apply for. As mentioned before it's not scientific and it may not actually prove anything but it will be fun !!!
Keep reading for the updated information. Let's see if recruitment consultants are actually listening to what candidates and clients are telling them and if they are actually reacting to the changing environment that they are working in.
Believe me there is change afoot in the UK Recruitment and staffing and talent sectors, it's good stuff and people need to move and be ready for it. I will keep you posted.
So, in the past I have been very critical or recruitment and staffing agencies and how they treat applicants, I firmly believe that in this candidate environment an good recruitment consultant should be able to" fill their boots" but day after day the recruitment pres and hr press are full of horror stories from perfectly good candidates who have applied for jobs via web sites and job boards and find them selves having to fill in reams and reams of forms travel vast distances to meet consultants who do not seem to care about them and then are put forward for totally unsuitable vacancies and never hear anything back.
Foe the next few weeks I have posted my CV to 4 major UK jobboards and I am going to monitor the response i get in the form of any calls from agents, the way they speak to / treat me, the level of service they offer and the quality of jobs they suggest I apply for. As mentioned before it's not scientific and it may not actually prove anything but it will be fun !!!
Keep reading for the updated information. Let's see if recruitment consultants are actually listening to what candidates and clients are telling them and if they are actually reacting to the changing environment that they are working in.
Believe me there is change afoot in the UK Recruitment and staffing and talent sectors, it's good stuff and people need to move and be ready for it. I will keep you posted.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Swine Flu and the cost of Vaccination
Today on the news we are told that the UK government is in discussions with the medical profession on who should pay for the extra work load that the vaccination programme due to start later in the years will cost. This is RUBBISH we are told time and time again that our GP's are over worked and underpaid again RUBBISH. Listen doctors it's your job to ensure that your patients are looked after and given the best care that you can deliver so stop whinging and get on with it. The money aspect as a sign of what this country is becoming, all anyone ever cares about is what is in it for them. I am not a medical expert and I am not sure that the media hype over swine flu is as bad as it should be but we do not know so if my kids need to be vaccinated then lets get it done.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
The Economy is getting better - is it not ?
Welcome to my Blog
Each day we are bombarded with news saying that the worst is over, there are green shoots of recovery and the recessions is a "v" shape that has bottomed out. The simple fact is that if you believe everything you are told and had the time to think about it we are still in recession and things will start to get better - Or will they ?
As a family we have found that our cost are still rising, the cost of entertaining our kids during the long holidays is scary and believe me we make the most of our National Trust Membership and go to things that are free as often as possible. We work hard and spend little but still we find it hard and we are well off compared to a lot of people. How people who do not work get by I have no idea.
Each day we are bombarded with news saying that the worst is over, there are green shoots of recovery and the recessions is a "v" shape that has bottomed out. The simple fact is that if you believe everything you are told and had the time to think about it we are still in recession and things will start to get better - Or will they ?
As a family we have found that our cost are still rising, the cost of entertaining our kids during the long holidays is scary and believe me we make the most of our National Trust Membership and go to things that are free as often as possible. We work hard and spend little but still we find it hard and we are well off compared to a lot of people. How people who do not work get by I have no idea.
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