HR tip: Length of CV

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: How long and comprehensive should a CV be? I have been told it should be no more than two pages, but I have a varied career background and a lot of experience […]

Job interviews: Careless talk costs your business

Many managers do not realise that some of the questions they ask during interviews are unlawful. Pam Loch and Chloe Pereira explain how to avoid the interview trap. Many managers carrying out interviews focus not only on the skills of the candidate concerned, but also on their ‘fit’ for the business. Will they get on with […]

Opinion: Cost-effective retention strategies

Continuing with her series on recruitment and retention in today’s business landscape, this month Lisette Howlett explains how to implement an effective retention strategy that doesn’t break the bank.     The trick to a really good retention strategy is not just effectively keeping your people, but actually knowing who it is that you want […]

Effective change management: Interims in the driving seat

In these difficult times, businesses need as much help as possible to ensure they are best placed to weather the economic storm, says Paul Botting.     The recession has emphasised the need for organisations across the public and private sector to take a fresh look at their inner workings and indeed, their HR policies. There can […]

How to select the right employee for the job

With scores of applicants chasing fewer roles, UK plc needs better candidate screening, says Steve O’Dell.     In an economic downturn, recruitment processes need to be especially effective at selecting the right employees. Not only is there increased pressure on each new recruit to deliver, but in the midst of a deep recession, redundancies […]

Recruitment: Overcoming budget cuts

The recession has meant that recruitment and selection processes have to be more slick than ever. Sophie Pritchard advises how to get more bang for your assessment buck.   Talks of the worst recession since the Second World War have left the economy drained and deflated. It’s forced a large number of organisations to review recruitment […]

Finding people that fit the organisation

It has never been more important to ensure you recruit the right person for the job. Ed Grimshaw explains how to find the ‘best fit’ when recruiting talent.   One of the most difficult challenges facing a manager recruiting staff is finding people that fit the organisation and fit in with the other people in […]

‘Hands on’ HR is key to successful future recruiting

Keith Potts predicts what recruitment will look like in 2019, and suggests that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to recruitment will become ineffective.       The A&R man who passed over the Beatles. The nine publishers who turned down JK Rowling and Harry Potter. Sheffield United deciding that £200,000 was too much to sign a 17-year-old […]

Opinion: Cost-effective recruitment strategies

In a new regular series, Lisette Howlett provides expert thought and opinion on recruitment and retention in today’s business landscape. This month, she looks at how HR departments can implement cost-effective recruitment methods.     I have always believed that cost-effective, high-quality recruitment and retention requires a good strategy (vision plus plan of action) and combination of […]

Recruitment in a downturn: Planning for the future

Employers must spend time now examining how best to attract talent to nurture the business and invest in the future. Raj Tulsiani explains how organisations can get it right. A disturbingly large number of organisations have reacted to uncertain economic times by downsizing with an axe rather than a scalpel. To a certain extent, that […]

Online recruitment: Returning more for less

During these difficult times, your recruitment budget has to give even more ROI, so how can online recruitment methods help to deliver this? Technology correspondent Jon Wilcox reports. Let’s not pull any punches – the UK jobs market has been decimated in recent months. Vacancies for permanent roles have diminished; the manufacturing sector has crumbled; and […]

Using temporary workers in a recession

As the culling of staff continues and the availability of permanent roles remains sparse, the number of individuals going it alone, whether in a freelance capacity or as a temporary employee, is climbing. Nick Golding investigates.     The latest Report on Jobs survey (June 2009) by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), reports […]

Staff development is weapon of choice in recession

Employers are choosing to focus on retention rather than recruitment in response to current resourcing issues, finds the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey. This year’s report revealed that 73% of organisations find a lack of necessary specialist skills remains the key resourcing challenge, whilst 56% of employers are […]

HR agenda critical to UK economic success

HR’s role in the effort to keep the UK economy afloat during the recession should not be under estimated, was the key message from the Acas and CIPD ‘Resilience Through Recession’ conference held today in London. Keynote speakers, including Lord Young, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills; Ed Sweeney, chair […]

Recruitment 2.0

With jobseekers turning to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to find work, how can HR make the most of social networking and unearth the talent? Verity Gough logs on to find out how best to harness the power of Web 2.0.   There is a strange revolution going on in the world of recruitment. What was once […]

Add value through recruitment process outsourcing

Recruitment process outsourcing can add value to your organisation, improve retention and save you money – what’s not to like? asks Nick Boothroyd.     Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is one of those things that HR people are suddenly talking about. Companies still need to recruit but they need to make smart decisions to stay ahead of […]

Opinion: The recruitment industry must change

As the recession continues to set new rules in the job market, there’s never been a greater need for a trusted, professional recruitment industry. Yet, many companies still view recruiters as a necessary evil. Neil Wilson explains why he thinks this must change.   Make no doubt about it; recruitment is a huge part of […]

Recruiters must understand online job searching trends, says Google

Recruiters must keep up with the latest online jobseeking trends to avoid being left behind, according to the head of careers at Google. Speaking at the Onrec.com Online Recruitment Conference in London on Tuesday, Google’s Luke Mckend said: "As recruiters, the onus is on us to keep up with the candidates, as they are one […]

The impact of the recession on recruitment

Whether levels have dropped or increased, recruitment processes have definitely changed since we entered into the recession. Lucie Mitchell examines exactly what impact the downturn has had on recruitment and retention in UK organisations.     The most obvious impact of the recession on organisations is that employers are recruiting less and making more redundancies. […]

Jaded jobseeker pledges to work 365 jobs in 365 days

A 30-year-old unemployed father of three from Lancashire is attempting a record-breaking challenge by working 365 different jobs, one each day, for an entire year. Jamie Dodd, supported by online recruitment resource Monster.co.uk, decided to set up ‘Project-365’ in an attempt to find his dream career after getting disheartened by the job-seeking process. The project […]