Blog: How often should I change my job?

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The job for life no longer exists. Modernisation of the world of work means many employees must now work harder to turn their dream career into reality. The old career paths have disappeared and you have to take responsibility for your career and progress. Perhaps you feel you’ve reached a career ceiling but still have the […]

Blog: How to have a high impact interview – From both sides of the desk

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Whether you’re looking for a job or a job-holder, chances are you’ll have a few interviews ahead of you! Personally, I enjoy interviews, whichever side of the desk I’m on. I get to chat about myself and my work over a cup of tea to someone who wants to know – what’s not to like?! […]

News: Yahoo appoints pregnant CEO

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Female chief executives are still lamentably rare, female chief executives in the hi-tech computer industry even more so.  Female chief executives who are pregnant when appointed are hitherto unknown, however.   But, refreshingly, search engine company Yahoo has broken the mould by appointing Marissa Mayer as its latest CEO knowing full well that she’s six month’s pregnant.   Mayer […]

Three tips to ensure your social recruitment strategy is effective

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Social media has been a game-changer for many hiring companies. Recruitment agents increasingly appear to have lost control of their little black books as professionals after new jobs and companies looking for fresh candidate pools start to make the most of online channels such as LinkedIn, Viadeo, Xing and Twitter.   This week, news also […]

News: G4S to face penalties over Olympic staffing failures

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G4S is expected to face financial penalties for failing to recruit, train and deploy enough security guards in time for the start of the Olympics in a fortnight’s time. As a result of the situation, the coalition government confirmed today that it would have to draft in an additional 3,500 soldiers, many of whom have […]

How to get a seat on the board

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The diversity of the workforce should be reflected at the most senior level. It’s true that almost all businesses need an ultimate decision maker, but the reason most companies are run by boards is that people able to look at problems from different angles tend to come to better decisions than any individual could.   […]

News: TUC to replace Barber with first female director general

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The TUC has appointed its first female leader, Frances O’Grady, to take over as general secretary when incumbent Brendan Barber steps down at the end of this year. Although little known outside the trade union movement, O’Grady, who joined the TUC in the mid-1990s, is well-regarded and is expected by some to shake it up, […]

Blog: The importance of seeing the why in what we do

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As a school girl, I was pretty horrendous at meeting deadlines for handing in homework.    At the time I didn’t realise the more I was rebuked and reminded I was going to ruin my future, the more resistant I was to doing the work at all.   Luckily I scraped by. Progressing to the world of […]

Blog: Fact – Improve management practice by 1% or hire 25% more staff

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 Recognise This! – A little effort to improve management skills is worth as much as a 25% increase in headcount. A consistent source of good advice and cross-industry perspective on company culture, Blanchard Leader Chat is one of my must-read blogs.   Last month, for example, they featured recent global research from McKinsey, Stanford, and […]

Blog: Punk rock HR – Recruitment

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I attended the CIPD HR Software Exhibition the other week, not expecting to be stirred by the experience.    To my surprise I spotted a company that is using software to transform the way companies and individuals organise their career development.   careerpassport offers an innovative approach to recruitment that stands head and shoulders above […]

Talent Spot: Gill Crowther, HR director at Nominet

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By the time Gill Crowther, director of HR at Nominet, had finished university, she already knew that she wanted to work in HR.   She had studied engineering, but the fact that she seemed to be very good at getting people to help her with her studies gave her a “moment of revelation” that management […]

Blog: Recruitment – What jobseekers really want

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We recognise that there is a war on talent, which is making it difficult for employers to find candidates with desired skill sets. With this in mind, when you’ve found the ideal person for the role, you don’t want to lose out because they decline the position, so it’s vital that applicants have a positive […]

News: HR salaries rise at nearly twice the national average

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The salaries of HR professionals grew at nearly twice the national average last year, with HR business partners seeing the heftiest increases due to high demand. Recruitment consultancy Robert Walters’ 2012 Salary Survey revealed that the salaries of permanent UK HR staff grew by an average of 2.6% year-on-year compared with only 1.5% in other […]

Are you being paid what you’re worth?

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Most people have a reasonable feel for what they should be paid, though for some it’s not the most important thing keeping them in their role. For many others, however, falling disposable incomes make salary a question of increasing significance.   In most organisations, prospects for pay rises look bleak and even if you’re lucky […]

News: Seeking part-time zombies

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Looking for: Part-time, temporary zombies.  Skills required: Groaning, shuffling, scaring people, murmuring ‘BRAAAAINS’, seeking/eating brains and battling human survivors.   In what must be one of the first ever job adverts to be targeted directly at the living dead, Wish.co.uk is seeking ‘bright, responsible, rotting individuals’ to play zombies at its Zombie Manor House in […]

A typical HRD: Part 6 – Local government

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We are all aware of just how challenging the current economic situation is and the impact it is having on organisations across all sectors. But nowhere is this ongoing era of austerity having a more significant impact than on the public sector in general and local government in particular.   The sector is facing a […]

News: Count your immigrant workers, says Milliband

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Overseas-only employment agencies would be banned and an early-warning system set up to highlight areas where locals are "dominated" by an influx of overseas labour, under new plans proposed by Labour.    Following a u-turn on immigration policy, Labour leader Ed Milliband woudl insist that firms where more than one in four staff is from […]

News: MPs accuse Beecroft of employment “policy by parable”

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The man behind the controversial ‘compensated no fault dismissals’ proposals appeared before a committe of MPs yesterday and got a hostile reception.  Entrepreneur Adrian Beecroft appeared before the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill committee theoretically to discuss proposed new legislation, but instead found himself having to defend his stnace on previous recommendations.  Opposition MPs questioned […]

Public sector struggles to recruit top talent

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Public sector organisations face increased problems in recruiting and retaining staff – particularly at more senior levels – as skilled individuals shy away from the sector as the impact of the cuts is felt and the image of the sector wanes.  So argues the latest annual snapshot of the state of the UK recruitment market […]