Changes to skilled migrant rights will “cause big problems for employers”

Skilled migrant workers from outside of the European Union who earn less than £35,000 are to lose the right to work in the UK for any more than five years in a move that will “cause big problems for employers”, a think tank has warned. The move, which will be introduced from April 2016, is […]
Blog: How to make the most of an international labour pool

The world is a much smaller place with communication being virtually instant and video conferencing becoming more common than long distance business travel due to its efficiency and cost benefits. So it makes sense that local candidates for jobs that have limited-to-no need for them to be physically present might not always be the best […]
Talking Point: How to eat an elephant – Moving to a strengths-based culture

The case for using a strengths-based methodology was most recently supported by David MacLeod’s excellent review entitled ‘Engaging for Success’. But moving from a deeply-ingrained competency culture to a strengths-based approach to recruitment and performance management brings to mind the question, ‘how do you eat an elephant?’ In 2003, I joined a new organisational […]
Blog: Fraud – Who do you think they are?

Do you know how easy it is to lie about your experience or qualifications on a CV and get away with it? Actually it is extremely easy, simply because the people doing the interviewing are not doing their job properly. And this backed up by the latest US TV hit from Dave, Suits, where a […]
UK unemployment continues ‘steady crawl’ to 9% by year end

Although the latest official unemployment figures were better than expected, the UK is continuing its steady crawl towards jobless levels of 9% by the end of the year, experts warn. According to the Office for National Statistics, worklessness rose by 48,000 in the three months to December, bringing the number of people without employment to […]
HRD Insight: Enterprise-Rent-A-Car’s Donna Miller on graduate recruitment

Enterprise-Rent-A-Car puts a huge focus on graduate recruitment schemes, with the aim of encouraging fresh thinking and bringing new ideas into the company. The firm, which was set up in 1957, has a culture of promoting from within. It recognises that providing employees with clear opportunities for advancement motivates them and encourages them to […]
CEO Insight: LinkedIn’s Jeff Weiner on the site’s recruitment ambitions

In the wake of much consolidation in the HR applications space, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the world’s most popular HR system in the space of online recruitment anyway is, in fact, LinkedIn. And if LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner gets his way, this is something that more and more […]
Recruitment agencies indulge in “casual racial discrimination”

UK recruitment agencies are indulging in "casual racial discrimination" against job seekers from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, making them more likely than white applicants to apply to employers directly. This is the key finding of a survey among 2,500 people who have sought work over the last 12 months conducted by SPA Future […]
National Apprenticeship Week: How to get started

As we enter another year of economic uncertainty, recruiting fresh faces may not be at the top of the corporate agenda for all companies in 2012. Organisations ranging from large firms through to small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly being asked to balance up diminishing budgets with a need to boost productivity and continue providing […]
Minister for disabled: Unemployment result of unwillingness to work

Unemployment in the UK is down to people’s unwillingness to work because there is “no shortage of jobs”, the minister for disabled people has said. Maria Miller, who works for the Department for Work and Pensions, said on BBC Radio 5’s ‘Pienaar’s Politics’ programme yesterday that the current employment situation was the result of a […]
Blog: Using Google+ for recruitment

Google+ is becoming an increasingly popular social networking site, but what opportunities does it present to HR and the recruitment process? Circles What sets Google+ apart is its circles. You can use them to separate your social circles and target your posts at the right people. For example, you wouldn’t talk about looking for […]
Ask the Expert: Is it legal to have a dual reference policy?

The question How legal is it when providing references to only confirm dates, sickness and disciplinary information? Are there possible dangers in relation to indirect discrimination? For example, an employee of ours had 59 days of sickness/five episodes, but her performance is way beyond the average, while another staff member has taken three days […]
CIPD aims to find new CEO by November

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is looking for a new permanent chief executive by November to replace current incumbent Jackie Orme, who is ill. Orme, who is on long-term sick leave as she undergoes treatment for cancer, has asked to step aside from her duties. When her health allows and she returns to […]
Short on rewards – an HR skills crisis

It would be hard to miss the steady growth in demand for reward professionals. Interest in their skills began with a handful of FTSE 100 businesses back in the 1990s, but the job title of ‘compensation and benefits director’ was a rarity at that time. Today, however, there are a lot more reward roles […]
Employers adopt ‘wait-and-see’ approach to hiring

Employers are currently adopting an increasingly cautious ‘wait-and-see’ approach to hiring new staff, with the number of graduate vacancies in particular predicted to fall by 1.2%. According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s monthly JobsOutlook, January suffered a marked dip (2%) in the number of employers expecting to take on permanent staff in the short-term, […]
Shift over last year in way HR viewed, reveals survey

Two thirds of HR directors believe that the last 12 months has seen a shift in the way the function is viewed, with most feeling that they now have the right level of senior management representation. Video interviews with 18 senior HR professionals from large UK private and public sector organisations undertaken by HR consultancy, […]
Blog: Is there a place for QR codes in recruitment?

As digital technology continues to engrain itself in our day to day lives, we’ve been increasingly looking at how we can reach our candidates through these new channels. It seems that as quickly as organisations get comfortable with one communications channel, another one springs up! As specialist online recruiters, it’s our job to help […]
Microsoft backs same-sex marriage to help it compete for talent

Microsoft has joined with five other companies to officially support the legalisation of same-sex marriage because it believes that discrimination of any kind is counter-productive in the war for talent. Washington State in the US, where the high tech giant is based, is scheduled to hear two bills today (Pacific Daylight Time) which, if passed, […]
Work experience scheme launched to help autistic adults get jobs

The National Autistic Society’s recruitment service is piloting a new 28-week course entitled ‘Preparation for Employment’ to help adults with the condition move into work. NAS surveys indicate that only 15% of autistic adults are currently in full-time employment, even though most are willing and able to work. Key barriers to finding and keeping a […]
Trends 2012: The talent issue

Prime Minister David Cameron predicts that 2012 will be another tough year for the UK economy. With this in mind, employers should be considering the implications of financial austerity measures, particularly with regards to selecting and nurturing talent. Selecting talent: In 2012, the ‘try before you buy’ trend will become increasingly prevalent due to two […]