Whether you’re fresh out of uni with a degree in accounting or you’ve just recently changed career paths and received your accountancy qualifications, the world is now your oyster. In addition to being one of the world’s oldest professions, accounting has always been one of the most in demand. Moreover, while certain professions may come and go, the world will always need more accountants.

With a high median salary and a constant demand for qualified accounting professionals, the time has never been better to join the field. However, you’ve probably already realised just how large and diverse that field is. With so many opportunities to apply your skills in some different areas, knowing where or how to start your career can be a little overwhelming.

So, here are some tips on how to get your accountancy career off on the right track.

Set Career Goals And Be Focused

Rather than applying for the first position that you find, start by clearly defining your goals and mapping out an accounting career path. Before starting your job search, make sure you’ve carefully considered the following questions:

Where do you see yourself in five years? What would you like to have accomplished by then?

Do you want to specialise and if so, which areas of accounting do you want to focus on? How could you gain more expertise in those fields?

Do you want to work as part of an accountancy firm, or would you instead work in-house for a particular company/industry?

Are you willing to commute long distances or even relocate for a job?

What sort of salary and benefits do you aspire to in your career?

Are you willing to work more extended hours to get ahead quickly, or is work-life balance more important to you at this stage in your life?

Know What Employers Are Looking For

Being aware of what potential employers are looking for from accounting candidates is essential not only in planning your job search but in preparing for future interviews.

Beyond the basics – requisite education and qualifications – companies are often looking to work with or hire an accountant who understands the ins and outs of their business. Having at least some experience in a relevant industry can go a long way in landing you a job with a company. For example, if you’re changing careers and already have a background in retail or manufacturing, you might consider applying your accountancy skills in one of those industries.

If you’re interviewing to work as an in-house accountant for a company, they’ll also want to make sure that you’re the right fit culturally and that you have the soft skills to match your accounting chops. Are you a reliable team player who can work well with others, and are you able to communicate beyond the numbers? These are just some of the questions potential employers will want answers to when considering you for a role.

If you want to specialise in a certain area of accounting, working for an accountancy firm or a larger private company with their own accountancy team may be the right move for you. However, if you’re aiming to work with a smaller business, where you are likely to be their sole financial professional, you’ll need to be able and willing to do a bit of everything, from record-keeping and managing payroll to preparing taxes. In addition to ensuring that you have these sets of skills, employers will also want to know whether you are up to date with using the latest accounting software.

Access Contacts And Build New Networks

As the saying goes, ‘It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.’ Knowing how to make connections at professional conferences and networking events can help open doors to new jobs. Keep in mind that your most valuable contacts may not be the obvious ones (those working in accounting). For example, your next-door neighbour may have a brother who’s a CFO at a growing company.

While real-world networking can still be highly effective, social networking online has become equally (if not more) important. In addition to reviewing all of your social media accounts to make sure they cast you in a favourable light, making sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and polished is every bit as critical as keeping your CV up to date.

As the world’s largest professional network, with over 550 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is an extremely valuable resource for both researching and networking with potential employers. Maintaining a complete profile that’s replete with the right keywords can be a highly effective way of connecting with the kinds of companies you’d like to work for.

Work With A Specialist Recruiter

In addition to networking, finding a specialist recruitment consultant who is willing and eager to invest time learning about your skills and preferences can give you a definite edge in your job search. You’ll want to work with a specialist recruiter with connections within the accounting field who can help you find opportunities that suit your background and career interests.

In addition to saving you valuable time in your job search, a good recruiter will help to prepare you for interviews by giving you insightful background information about potential employers. And since recruiters are paid by the company they place you with, they have an incentive to find you the highest-paying position possible and will serve as a strong voice on your behalf during salary negotiations.

Businesses ranging from start-ups to large companies routinely use recruitment companies to locate potential hires with in-demand skills and experience. By working with a specialist recruiter to boost your search, you can increase the likelihood of landing the right position with the right company, thus setting your accountancy career off on the right track.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, Industrial, and Engineering appointments, on both a permanent and temporary basis. If you are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to download our latest interview checklist, you can do so here.

I can’t emphasise enough how important cover letters are becoming when it comes to standing out in the career race.

They’re a golden opportunity to introduce yourself, highlight your most desirable skills, and create a good impression in your recruiter or hiring manager’s eye.

So why on earth are they so often skimmed over – or even worse, left out altogether?

Without a cover letter, your job application is just another sheet of paper, or another PDF file on the computer screen – one often lacking in personality and excitement.

And you know what? That’s fine: after all, the CV’s function is to list experience and skills. Your cover letter is there to add interest.

Without a cover letter, your CV is much more likely to be skimmed over and discarded. It might not even be read at all – almost certainly the case if the job description has asked for a cover letter to be included.

However, that’s not to say that any old cover letter will do.  There’s an art to writing a good cover letter – one that will make a recruiter straighten in their seat and think, ‘hmm, this person looks interesting.’

What To Include and What To Leave Out Of A Cover Letter

Write your cover letter in the first person. When you’ve written your first draft, check over it and you’ll probably find that you’ve started every single sentence with ‘I’. Go back and reword some of the sentences so that they have variation in how they begin – it makes the cover letter read better and will increase the impact.

Mix it up and write different cover letters for different organisations. Personalisation is key and always gets noticed.

Your recruitment consultant can help you with this. For each job application, scour the job ad to look at the particular skills or competencies they’re seeking. Write your cover letter to tell them how your skills and experiences fit what they are looking for. Include why you want to work for their company too.

Remember not to ramble: If it’s a big block of text crammed onto one page, then you put the person off ever reading it at all. Four to six very short paragraphs are the perfect length.

Ensure you create white space between each major piece of information, so that it is easy to read and pick out the critical parts. In today’s online world many cover letters could be read on mobile so factor this in too.

Use straightforward, clean language; you are a professional after all. Complex language can be a headache for the reader and confuses the message – i.e. why you’re the ideal person for the role.

Break overly long sentences into shorter ones, then read it aloud and see how it sounds.

Put all your contact details on the cover letter. If you are unavailable to take calls during working hours, advise when is suitable.

Make sure you mention the name of the company in the body of the cover letter and demonstrate that you have done your research on the company in some way. This marks the application out as targeted and that you care enough to make your application stand out.

Strike a balance. Every company enjoys being flattered. While you want to demonstrate you are the right person for the role, be aware you don’t come across as sounding desperate.

Don’t send your letter without having someone read over it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Of course, run it through spellcheck first, but that won’t always pick up homophones such as ‘their and there’ or ‘your and you’re’.

Then, of course, make sure your recruitment consultant sees it too.

Put real thought into what the reader might find interesting about you and your work experience.

In short, keep it short. Keep it readable. Keep it relevant to the job offer. Get someone to check it. Above all, put some serious effort into making sure it’s as good as it possibly can be, as a lack of effort will rarely open the door to an interview.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989, and during that time has built up an excellent reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, and Engineering appointments, on a permanent basis.

If you are building your team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Let’s be honest; we all at some point or another think we know how our significant other might respond in a given situation.

They will choose that off the pub menu, or they won’t be happy about x doing y, or they won’t want to take a flight on Monday, and the list goes on.

Often, we are correct because our years together have taught us how they generally react. We have taken the time to listen and understand them. They might be an oddball, and they are our oddball whom we have grown to love and adore; quirky habits and all.

Now let’s think about the workplace.

Ever been surprised by the reaction of a colleague in your team or department? I suspect so.

It’s probably because you haven’t taken the time to get to know them well and are making assumptions.

Now let’s take this one stage further and think about the interview process and how, on very little information, we make snap decisions.

It’s related to a phenomenon known as unconscious bias.

What is Unconscious Bias?

It’s a recognised phenomenon which is hitting the headlines more than ever as all organisations are becoming aware of the need to embrace diversity in their organisations.

Unconscious bias refers to a preference that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations.

Unconscious bias is influenced by our background, cultural environment, and personal experiences. We all have these biases and research has shown that they heavily influence how we evaluate people in the interview process and more often than not, put minority candidates at a disadvantage.

Let me explain.

Though you think tattoos are fine or nose studs are OK in other organisations, deep down when Jonathan appears across the table from you at the interview, there is something that doesn’t quite feel right.

Alternatively, maybe Amanda looks almost identical to Amy who didn’t work out earlier in the year and somehow your gut is saying; don’t make the same mistake again.

Then maybe Sean appears who looks exactly like your favourite brother and even supports MUFC as you do. During the interview, he fluffed a couple of questions though he looks like he will fit in with the rest of the guys in the team, so let’s say yes.

Common ways unconscious bias appears that you might also recognise is the halo effect.  The phrase was first coined by Edward Thorndike, a psychologist who used it in a study published in 1920 to describe the way that commanding officers rated their soldiers. So, if you assume that someone is nice, or friendly, you are highly likely to assume that they would also be clever, smart or good at their job: Beware, this is a huge assumption.

The horn effect is the opposite and is likely what is happening to Jonathan and his tattoos. This is where first impressions create an unconscious bias. If, for instance, a person is seen to be too loud, or too shy, it could also be assumed that they will not be smart or clever, or good at their job. Crazy I know, and it happens regularly.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I suspect it does because at some point all of us can be under the effect of unconscious bias in an interview situation.

Why It’s A Good Idea To Minimise Bias

Bias creates the ‘same old same old’, which stifles growth. Research by McKinsey over the last three years has confirmed that a diverse workplace is more effective, and diverse organisations perform better.

One further report by McKinsey called Delivering Through Diversity showed that gender diversity in management positions increases profitability even more than previously thought. In the firm’s previous analysis, companies in the top 25th percentile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits. The latest data showed that the likelihood has grown to 21%.

Companies with a more culturally and ethnically diverse executive team were 33% more likely to see better-than-average profits.

So, how can you start to remove bias in your interview process?

Set Tasks

If you know that the role requires a specific set of tasks to be completed, include this in the interview process. The halo effect can often result in wasted time when people join your company who can’t do the job. Maybe if you asked Jonathan and Sean to complete the same task and assessed them based on this, Jonathan could turn out to be an amazing find.

Plan Out Your Interview and Questions And Stick To IT

If you are hiring for a specific commercial role, decide on the questions you will ask and who will ask them.

Ensure everyone is asked the same questions by the same person and score answers too. You will be surprised how this starts to standardise the process and remove bias.

Then finally…

Have At Least Two Interviewers

More if you can. Human beings are all different and view things differently. Ideally, interview with someone who is opposite to you; I know that is a stretch but well worth it.

Ensuring that at least two people conduct each interview will help to get a more rounded picture of the candidate.

Unconscious bias as the name implies is just that, outside of our awareness. So reading this post is an excellent first step.

At the end of the day consider how someone will help your business not just where they come from or their friendly demeanour.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, Industrial, and Engineering appointments, on both a permanent and temporary basis. If you are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to download our latest interview checklist, you can do so here.

The month of March is all about leadership with International Women’s Day at the start of the month and World Leadership Day at the end.

Why the big focus on leadership?

Being a great leader will determine how successful your organisation is and becomes as you move forward.

You don’t need to be a wildly dynamic, charismatic, gung-ho person to be an exceptional leader. If you have quieter people on your team, that approach may well be counter-productive.

What you do need is a considered, communicative and natural approach: one which will send the message to your team that though you have a job to do you’re on their side and working together is about everybody winning.

So, what are some of the traits of great leaders? We explore what they are in this week’s post.

Set Big Goals

The best leaders know how to set goals in a way that makes everyone feel involved.

When discussing team goals, bring everyone together and paint a picture of success – one which they can see themselves contributing to and can get excited about getting involved and doing their part.

Use examples and case studies of other teams or companies who have achieved greatness; it doesn’t have to be within your specific market. This will demonstrate that goals can be achieved in business and by their organisation too.

Make sure you relate the goal to their part in delivering results. For instance, if someone has to organise and develop a new CRM system, understanding that this makes the sales team more productive which equals more sales, will connect the dots for team members as they understand how critical their role is in delivering a team goal.

They Remove Ego From The Equation

Remove ego from the equation. As a manager of a team of you will need to lead, motivate, and direct your team.

Remember, your role as a leader is not to show your brilliance, but to support and encourage theirs.

This is the case across all departments, whether you’re leading a team of customer service advisors, salespeople, or finance administrators. If you’re not an expert in every aspect of your team’s work, be upfront about that, explaining that your role is to facilitate their success rather than be able to do their job as well as they do.

Listen Like Never Before

Listen as you’ve never listened before. This is the most powerful skill you can have as a leader, and the best leaders listen more than they talk.

Effective listening not only alerts you to possible opportunities and issues you might have missed, but it also makes your team members feel like their voices are heard and valued. There is no better building block to a high performing team than good communication.

Understand Your Team

Bring the team together. Extroverts will need no encouragement, but introverted employees will often display a preference to work alone, which can stifle collaboration and morale within the team if it’s allowed to progress too far.

Be understanding and accepting of natural work-style preferences, but also be sure to bring the team together regularly for meetings and collaborative efforts, or you might find you are working with a set of individuals rather than a team.

Be Authentic

Be your authentic self. Showing your vulnerabilities, admitting mistakes and talking about life outside work may seem like admitting weakness, but authenticity is a quality that draws a team together and builds mutual trust. In a team with an authentic leader, mistakes are admitted rather than hidden, and the team are loyal to the leader. Showing your human side is a powerful leadership quality.

Praise and Give Feedback

As a specialist recruitment company, it’s fascinating how often candidates state that their reason for wanting to leave their current employer is that they didn’t feel valued or recognised for their contribution.

Saying thank you is powerful. I know people have a role and expectations; however, a ”thank you, I appreciate what you have done this week for us”, can make all the difference.

All employees need feedback on how they are doing and where and what they need to do to improve.

All your team will have performance objectives at some level that feed into the companies’ overall goals, and feedback on objectives needs to happen consistently.

A more formal six-month review is what many companies implement. However more regular ‘catch-ups’ can help your team improve much faster and stops any veering off track too.

Be Transparent Whenever Possible

Bring your team in on the big issues. Nothing consolidates a team more than a challenge – if issues are discussed with transparency and a solution-focused mindset. Bring the team together to honestly discuss issues, ask for their opinions, and always keep an upbeat attitude that a solution will be reached.

The alternative is to hide problems, which everyone senses on some level, causing a wedge of distrust to form between your team and you.

People aren’t born great leaders; it’s something you learn over time. If you can incorporate these steps into your leadership style, you will be well on the way to becoming the standout leader you want to be.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, Industrial, and Engineering appointments, on both a permanent and temporary basis. If you are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to download our latest interview checklist, you can do so here.

Whether you love spending your free time on social media or use a few sites to stay connected, the way you present yourself online can help or harm your job opportunities.

Used correctly, social media is an excellent platform for job seekers to share their accomplishments, highlight their strengths, personable style and more. However, a mistake regarding attitude or content can easily harm your chances of getting a great new commercial role.

Commercial recruitment companies and employers frequently use the internet to find information about possible employees and their suitability for a vacancy.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

On any social media network, show that you’re ready to excel in your career. On LinkedIn, highlight the recent training you got in the sector.

When you’re on Facebook or Instagram comment professionally on the latest news updates for the industry, even if you’re just interacting with friends, ask yourself whether what you post would make someone want to employ you.

Countless employers and recruitment teams use social media to get their first look at a candidate today. They will be looking for evidence that you know how to conduct yourself in a social setting. If your social media profile shows you in the right light, you’re more likely to get an interview in the first place.

What Would Your Mum Say!

An easy, quick win on social are the images you share on your profile and your profile banner. Though we all like a bit of fun, think about the impact of a photograph on a potential employer who might be visualizing how you will fit in their company.

A drunken image of you on a ski slope doesn’t put you across in the best light. However, a picture of you with your family sends an entirely different message.

Follow the Right People And Stay Active

As social media becomes a more active part of the hiring process, it pays to make sure that you’re following the right people. Following leaders in the industry will show that you’re passionate about your sector and eager to learn and develop.

A successful social media presence doesn’t mean hiding all your posts, so employers can’t see them. Many recruiters using social media will actively avoid candidates without an active social presence, as it can look as though they have something to hide. The key to success is auditing your online ‘image’ and making sure you make the right impression wherever you are.

Think of your social profiles as an extension of the CV and cover letters you use to apply for a job. All of these things are a part of the professional brand you build for yourself in today’s digital age.

Think Before You Post or Comment

Once you’ve started following the right people on social media, you’ll need to make sure that you’re thinking twice about both what you post and what you comment on.

Remember that your followers can potentially see what you say on other people’s content, as well as what you post on your newsfeed.

Though it’s not deemed correct in today ’s society to judge; people do, so be aware.

For example, if you got some great feedback at your current workplace, share that on your social media feed. Comment on something you learned about business or your specific sector or discuss your plans to develop your skills in certain areas. Other things to share include:

• Your work in volunteering or mentoring programmes.
• Recently updated qualifications or skills.
• ….. or what about the fact that you have had a fantastic day helping a client

Avoid Negativity

It’s common to use social media as a platform for venting negative thoughts and feelings and utilising the ability to hide behind your keyboard; please don’t.

Complaining about your boss is something that you need to do offline, as online it makes you appear like an immature mood hoover who won’t fit into their team

Be careful posting comments about your job in general, as your words may suggest that you have a bad attitude. Even complaining about things outside of work can be a mistake. Too much negativity online may make employers question the kind of influence you’re going to have on your team when you join their company.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, Industrial, and Engineering appointments, on both a permanent and temporary basis. If you are looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to download our latest interview checklist, you can do so here.

Every company wants a team that performs well and critically delivers the results the organisation needs. Identifying, hiring, engaging and developing these individuals isn’t as easy as it looks.

Working with different personalities, agendas, and abilities to develop into a single unit devoted towards a specific goal is a task that requires exceptional focus.

So, when you want to build the most productive team for your commercial business, here’s where to start.

1. Decide On The ‘Ingredients’ You Need

In some circles, people call this finding the fit in other words matching roles to requirements. If your department has lots of team members, they will all have specific tasks that they are responsible for. It’s not uncommon that one or two key hires might be missing which leaves a gap in your teams’ capability.

This might seem logical and yet it’s not uncommon for some firms to limp along wondering why everything seems a struggle. When it might be that they need a customer service advisor, or a project manager to ensure everything is working like clockwork.

This needs to be your first start to ensure you have all the right ‘cogs’ in place to enable the engine to work effectively’. Depending on your growth plans you might be able to develop someone from another part of the business or more likely recruit someone into a specific role you create. This is where a recruiter versed in your sector can help.

2. Shared Goals

The goals your team have as an objective need to be clear. If your team doesn’t have a joint mission, then they’re just people working together.

Focused goals connect people as a unit, through passion and understanding. If you have multiple results in mind, then link them to objectives and priorities so that all the members of your team can begin to map their way towards success.

3. Set Clear Expectations

Research suggests that only about half of most teams at work understand clearly what is expected of them. If you want to develop a high-performing team in your organisation, then make your expectations clear from the beginning.

Whether you’re onboarding new hires or bringing internal employees together to work on a specific project, make sure that you highlight clear requirements during your first conversation with each person.

4. Be a Leader and Lead

You’ve heard the term “practice what you preach”, and that phrase fits perfectly into the professional world of business growth. Beyond any high-performing employee, is a confident leader. Think about how you can support your staff and guide them on your joint success journey.

A highly-engaged leader can increase engagement by 39% according to this CIPD report.

Considering this it’s then necessary too:

• Focus on building commitment and trust
• Be solution rather than problem orientated
• Provide opportunities for all team members to achieve
• Be accountable

No matter how skilled and adept your team members might be, there’s always a risk that they’ll run into a challenge or two on the road to success. The difference between most staff and high-performing groups is that the latter know which strategies to use, and which techniques to access to overcome these hurdles.

To reduce your risk of having to deal with constant problems or issues with productivity, set up a few established guidelines for what your people must do if they face a challenge with their work.

5. Provide Coaching and Feedback

The only way for a team member to know whether they’re performing well in their role is to receive consistent coaching and feedback from you, their leader.

Communicating with your employees can help them to understand what they need to do to improve their performance.

If a team is underperforming, it generally boils down to a few key things. It might be the wrong person in the wrong role or more likely an employee that needs coaching guidance and support.

People want to be successful they don’t want to fail. All they need is feedback and guidance. Deploy this strategy, and you will be amazed how quickly your results start to change.

6. Actively Appreciate Your Team

Finally, as human beings, we are happiest when we feel appreciated and recognised at work. The research department at Warwick University conducted a study to validate that happy employees are more productive. No surprises that the answer came out that the two are closely linked.

That being the case how can you appreciate your team? As I write this post, we are gripped by snow across the country. Maybe it’s hot chocolate all round or finishing an hour early.

Alternatively, how about a good old fashioned; ‘thank you, Amanda, I appreciate what you have done for the team this week.’

While creating a high performing team might not be a simple process, it is an incredible way to improve the profitability and potential of your company. If you can unite and empower your staff, then you can achieve anything.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organisations across the country since 1989 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability.

With specialist divisions covering Commercial, Financial, Industrial, and Engineering appointments, on both a permanent and temporary basis. If you are building your team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or

If you would like to know even more about building a high performing team this year you can download our latest guide here.

Whether you’re taking time off over Christmas to enjoy the last few days of 2018 or are already looking ahead to what 2019 will bring, the end of the year is the ideal time to pause and think. We’ve looked back at some of the highs and lows of the year, to help you reflect on what’s gone well for you in 2018. We’ve also included a round-up of our most helpful blogs from this year, so that you can plan ahead and get 2019 off to a successful start.

2018 in review

This year has been challenging for business in general, and this has an impact on employees. When talking with candidates, one of the things that often comes up is the issue of job security – and many of you tell us that you’d like more!

Brexit is causing uncertainty, and the effects have been widely felt, particularly in the automotive sector. Vauxhall hit the headlines earlier this year when it was announced that the company would be cutting hundreds of jobs in the North West. It’s also been a tough year for industries that rely on EU migrants to staff operations. This could mean a greater workload for individuals, as they try to cover the same amount of work that would usually be handled by more staff.

The retail sector has also suffered job losses this year, with reports suggesting up to 50,000 people have been made redundant. And while the headlines make for gloomy reading, it isn’t all bad news for candidates. Roles in digital and tech industries are increasingly in demand, as are professional services such as accounting and finance. New and emerging sectors are building on those foundations, with Fintech (short for Financial Technology) expected to grow by 88% in the next three years.

So, whether you’re just about to enter a new industry or are starting a new job, you’ll want to get off to a flying start. Our tips on how to make a good impression in your new job will help you get settled and make a positive impression, we hope it helps!

The job market in 2018

While uncertainty can mean job losses, it also means that businesses are keen to hold onto their top talent. The CIPD found that following the Brexit referendum, 26% more companies said that they wanted to develop staff internally. That’s good news for those of you who are worried about job security or who are looking for development opportunities.

As hinted above, the service sector has been booming. In January we reported on the most in-demand job roles, which included administrators, telesales executives and accountants. Professional services, such as accountancy, generates work for a raft of support staff, as do industries such as the creative and media sectors. This is good news for candidates; not only does it offer new employment opportunities, for many people a supporting or junior role can be a fantastic route into an industry that interests them.

2018 has seen the continuing trend of ‘Northshoring’, with companies moving operations from London and the south of England to the North. Cities such as Leeds and Manchester have benefitted from this, and the impact on candidates is positive too. Economic growth means more employment and career progression opportunities that might otherwise have been missing.

So if you’re planning your next career move, the best thing to do is plan ahead. Be sure of where you want to go in your career and look at how your company and location can help you to get there. If you’re not sure whether you can see a future with your current employer our blog, ‘How to tell whether your job is going well or not’, will help you make a decision.

Clayton Recruitment is committed to your success

Our reputation rests on our ability to help you find the very best job for your skills and interests. Two of our key values are trust and relationships and we work hard to build both of these with the candidates we work with. Candidates appreciate these values and the fact that we listen to what you want to get out of a new position.

What’s more, we also build strong relationships with our clients. This is beneficial to candidates because we have a solid understanding of the businesses we work with and the vacancy on offer. By taking the time to know both parties we can successfully match applicants with their ideal role. In the short term, it means that you find the new position that you’ve been looking for, and in the long-term it gives you confidence that you’ll feel happy that your values align with the company’s values for a long time to come.

Candidates and Clayton Recruitment: success stories

From directors to part-time staff, in our lifetime we’ve helped over 2,000 professionals find their ideal role. Our passion for recruitment means that we’re always improving our service, so that we can help more and more professionals.

In 2018 we’ve expanded our service for those seeking temporary work. We recognise that not everyone is looking for full-time or permanent work; in 2018 there’s no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ job role any more. We’ve developed our temporary recruitment service so that we can help even more people find the role that is suited them, their lifestyle, and their skills.

Planning ahead to 2019

There have certainly been challenges and minor setbacks in 2018, though there have been opportunities for candidates also. And while it’s helpful to look back at successes and challenges this year and determine what that might mean, it’s also key to look ahead at what the future holds.

So, if you think that 2019 could be the year that you make a career change, we’ve put together our top five blogs from this year to help you land the role you’ve been dreaming of:

1. Do I stay, or do I go? How to make the decision whether to stay in your current job or leave
2. What to leave off from your CV
3. What is your interviewer actually thinking? 
4. Banish interview jitters with our interview checklist
5. The job offer – what next?

And if you’re thinking of making a fresh start with a new job in January, it’s not too late to apply! We’d be happy to discuss what you’re looking for and to get things underway ahead of the new year.

Call us on 01772 529 121, and one of our friendly and professional consultants will be happy to help.

You may also like to download our guide on How to Develop Your CV.

In the meantime, we hope you have an enjoyable Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

As we head towards the end of the year and get ready to welcome a new one, it’s an ideal opportunity to reflect. That’s why we’ve put together this blog, to help you assess what difficulties the world of business has faced this year, and how to plan so that 2019 gets off to a successful start.

Challenges and opportunities in 2018

Businesses have faced many challenges over the last year, and this has been reflected in the job market. Job stability is always something that worries candidates, and this has been a hot topic of conversation that we’ve had with clients this year. Good retention rates are attractive to the top talent; they want to feel reassured that their skills and contribution will be appreciated and held onto.

However, Brexit has made this challenging, continuing the theme from 2017. Companies across all sectors are having to work harder than even to attract and retain the very best talent. It’s been well publicised that industries that rely on migrants from the EU to complete low-skilled work have been the hardest hit.

It’s not all doom and gloom however. The Edge Foundation has reported that despite the predicted one million vacancies due to a tech skills shortage by 2020, Brexit could give the UK access to new markets and pools of international talent. That’s good news on the horizon for tech companies, a sector that’s ever-more important to our digital society.

What’s happening in the market: plan now, succeed later

As we pointed out above, Brexit is proving tricky for employers and the uncertain climate is something that comes up regularly with our clients. The best way to protect yourself from fluctuations in the market is to plan for all eventualities; in fact, CIPD found that 26% more businesses are focused on developing current staff. Not only does this improve your retention rates, making your business attractive to candidates, it means you’ll have exactly the skills that you need in-house.

Back in January we reported that some of the most in-demand job roles were fork-lift truck drivers, administrators and telesales executives. Naturally, as we have neared the end of the year and Christmas there’s been an increasing focus on temporary positions. This is something that we’ve been continuing to grow, following our client’s needs and demands. We recognise that for many businesses, there’s often the need for extra help without wanting to take on the commitment of a full-time member of staff, so a temporary staff member is a great alternative.

Partnering up with Clayton Recruitment

Whether recruiting for temporary or permanent positions, quality candidates will always make the process of hiring much more efficient and this is exactly what Clayton aims to deliver to our clients. There is a number of ways in which we work to achieve this:

• Providing you with a dedicated account manager
• We build trusting, long-lasting client relationships – we always take the time to listen to your needs and challenges. We don’t just want to understand your business, we learn about your culture and values so that the candidates we put forward are the best all-around fit
• Consistently growing an established database of quality talent

By focusing on your success, we have reinforced our own values of trust, relationships, and growth. These values are what clients appreciate, and we often share the same values as the businesses that we serve, making for a stronger partnership.

We take building positive client relationships seriously, and also strive to build strong relationships with our employees too. So if you’re the kind of company that is committed to building an employer brand that not only attracts but retains talent, then we could be a good match!

In fact, we recently helped a multinational technology business with offices across the UK, who had been struggling to source quality candidates with the relevant skills. They would often receive too many irrelevant CVs, which wasted time sifting through. Training staff internally would take a long time to get to the required skill level; the business was growing and there was pressure to recruit the necessary skills into the company.

By comparing what we knew about the business with our talent pool, we were quickly able to fill the post. The client was delighted and we were thrilled with their glowing review: “I would recommend Clayton Recruitment because the feedback, quality of candidates and speed of response are all critical, all of which Clayton do well.”

Of course, every business measures success differently, although 91% of clients have reported being really pleased with Clayton and the results of working with us.

Talent can be the scarcest resource, which is why our goal is to use our market expertise, insight and networks to ensure that we provide the right people to the right company, so that they become their greatest asset.

Clayton Recruitment’s success stories

It’s great to hear such positive feedback, and plenty more employers agree: in our lifetime, Clayton Recruitment has filled over 2,000 placements. We’ve helped fill vacancies for everything from middle to senior management, mass recruitment to seasonal positions. Each new assignment teaches us something, whether it’s better understanding a client’s business or deepening our industry insight, we strive to improve our service constantly.

Offering our clients a comprehensive and seamless recruitment service is what makes us tick. Thankfully, this passion is paying off because since our MD, Lynn Sedgwick, took charge in 2013 we’ve grown year on year.

Looking ahead to 2019

Of course, it’s important to reflect on the year and to celebrate growth and success – but it’s also exiting to look to the future as well! Each and every win for us means that we’re better able to serve you in future.

And if you are thinking of recruiting, it’s not too late to get things underway and welcome a new-starter in January! We’ll be here until the 24th of December and will be more than happy to help with whatever recruitment challenges you’re facing.

Whether it’s a last-minute temp emergency for the festive season or a full-time employee for your 2019 growth plans, call us on 01772 259 121 and our friendly consultants will be happy to assist you.

In the meantime, you might like to find out more about what a specialist firm can bring to the table in our blog: Big firm, little firm…get the best from your recruitment provider.

You may also like to download our latest report on trends in recruitment: The 7 critical recruitment trends for businesses that will impact your talent pipeline in 2019.

We hope you have a great end to 2018, and we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A new job brings with it new challenges and the opportunity to make a positive change. But what if you’re on the fence about leaving your current role? Deciding whether to stay in a job or to leave is a complex process. For many, there is a whole range of considerations to make, from skills and experience to job security and family commitments.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, the choice has to be an individual one that suits you. That’s why we’ve put together this blog to walk you through important considerations and hopefully to make the decision a little easier for you.

Weigh up your options

If the possibility of leaving your position is on your mind, it’s useful to start by weighing up your options. The first step is to consider your job role and the business generally, and look at all of the positives, followed by all of the negatives. Does it meet your career ambitions, are you achieving your own goals of where you’d like to be now or in the future? When you compare the two lists side by side, does one significantly outweigh the other or is there not much in it?

The next step is to think about your skills and experience: what value can you add? Hands-on experience is a real asset to any company, so look for opportunities where your work experience matches up with demand. The Edge Foundation has published research on the skills shortage in the UK and according to its findings, ‘employers are looking for individuals with work experience…above the paper qualifications that are often only used to sift.’ Paper qualifications do matter, but practical skills such as the ability to handle a situation confidently and think on your feet are usually much more useful to an employer. The trick is to research what’s out there, trends that are affecting your industry, and how your skill set could fit with the kind of roles that are available.

Don’t forget about skills that aren’t strictly related to the work either. Having managerial experience, another language, or knowledge of a particular sector can all be valuable to a potential employer, so make sure you highlight these aspects too. Many job seekers also find it beneficial to have a chat with a recruitment consultant as well as doing their own research.

Approaching the end of the year; time for a change?

If the thought of finding a new job is playing on your mind, the start of a new year is the ideal time to make a change. According to HR Magazine, January is the most likely time for employees to start a new job, with nearly a fifth of people (18%) saying that it’s the most popular time to move. If you’re making plans for the future of your career, a new year and a fresh start can give you the impetus to bring the plan into action.

Important considerations

When weighing up whether to leave your job or to stay, there are considerations to make that will impact your decision. One of the most common factors that crop up for working professionals is the issue of job stability. And while uncertainty can be exciting for some, many people find that the stability of their job is not something they want to risk. This can be a deciding factor on whether to stick with a company or to leave. If you feel that your position would be more secure elsewhere, it may make sense in the long term to make a change now.

The big issues like stability are important, although a range of smaller issues can add up to influence your decision. Some of the most important considerations when deciding to stay or go are around ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors.

Push factors are exactly as they sound – things that make you want to look elsewhere. They might include:

• Doesn’t meet with your career ambitions and goals.
• Work life balance – are you able to achieve your life goals?
• Feeling that the work isn’t suited to you, that you are not challenged by it, or that the workload is simply too much or too little.
• Disagreeing with the overall direction of the business.
• Is the company growing, or does it feel like it’s staid?
• The general company culture doesn’t fit with your values.

Pull factors are things that draw you to a particular job role or company. These might include:

• Career prospects – is there room for promotion within the business?
• Do they encourage people to learn and develop their skills and experience?
• Location – would a move mean a shorter commute, for example?
• Salary – money can be a powerful motivator and a higher salary can be an attractive pull for many people.
• Benefits – the right benefits package that appeals to you can be very appealing and can give an indication as to how the company treats their staff.
• Will a move to the new company help fulfil your own career plan?

How a recruitment agency can help you decide

A recruitment consultant can assist job seekers in a number of ways:

• Overview of the market: consultants are in constant communication with businesses of all shapes and sizes in a range of industries. They are well versed in what the market looks like currently. Chatting with a consultant will give you a good idea of what’s out there and what real employers are looking for.
• A fresh perspective: having knowledge of what businesses are looking for can help you, as consultants can encourage you to emphasise skills that you might not have known were sought after. They can also suggest roles that you may have otherwise overlooked, giving you a better chance of finding the ideal job role.
• Feedback and insight: any recruiter worth their salt will have developed good relationships with their clients over time. They can ask employers for feedback, which candidates can sometimes feel shy or awkward about asking for. This gives you useful insight into how you can improve your interview performance next time.

Decision time

When you’ve weighed up your options, thought about whether the timing is right and considered all of the various push and pull factors, it’s time to make a decision. Your recruitment consultant will listen to your goals, offer advice, make suggestions, and match your skills to available opportunities, or search for opportunities that better suit your career goals, now and in the future, with employers that you want to work for. Ultimately, however, they cannot decide which job is right for you – only you can make the decision to stay in or leave a job.

So if you’re feeling a little unsure about what to do, perhaps increasing your awareness of what’s out there will help you decide. Our recruitment consultants would be happy to talk through your options – why not give us a call? We’re on 01772 259 121 and would be pleased to hear from you, alternatively you can look at our vacancies online.

You may also find our last blog: How to tell whether your job is going well or not, useful in helping you evaluate what you’d like to do.

A stable workforce means that things run smoothly and without interruption, so when a staff member leaves it can have a big impact on the rest of the business. Valuable skills and job-specific knowledge that has built up over time disappear with a departing staff member, leaving you in a tricky position to bridge the gap. These practical implications of recruitment can have just as heavy a cost to your company as the financial element.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help explain what the true cost of recruiting is to your business. From finances to how attrition rates impact your recruitment, we’ve considered some of the things you may not have thought about when it comes to recruiting.

Recruitment costs: facts and figures

To understand the true cost of recruiting, it’s useful to look at the facts and figures and what costs they refer to. When a staff member leaves, your business could find itself paying for everything from recruitment costs to the wages of temporary staff.

Research carried out by Oxford Economics suggests that it costs more than £30,000 to replace a staff member. Two main reasons for this cost are highlighted in the findings:

• Firstly, the logistics of recruiting a new staff member and the associated costs that go along with that. For example, HR activity and the cost to the business of the interview process.
• Secondly, the reduction in productivity while the new staff member gets up to speed. According to the report, it can take between 20 and 32 weeks for a new starter to reach optimum efficiency, depending on the industry.

The financial figures are striking of course, although it’s important not to overlook the bigger picture. Not only does a departing staff member result in a monetary cost to the business there is a range of knock-on effects:

• HR spends considerable time going through leaving and joining processes, completing all the relevant paperwork as well as sourcing a replacement.
• Management has to spend time arranging for the work to be covered, either by distributing it amongst existing staff or appointing temporary cover. There’s also the time spent away from everyday work conducting interviews to take into account.
• The workload of colleagues increases and there is a general reduction in productivity as staff take time to readjust and the new person to settle in.

Not only is this expensive, it’s time-consuming: resources which could be used to retain staff are instead spent on finding a replacement. There’s the commercial element to consider also, as time and energy are put into recruitment which could be put to more effective use by serving clients, refining work processes, and developing new products and services.

Attrition rates and their impact on recruitment costs

Losing a well-established member of staff is undoubtedly a blow to your business, although it’s equally important to consider how attrition rates play into your overall recruitment costs. If you find that you hire someone only for them to leave after a short while, or if staff aren’t sticking with you for the long term, it can have a huge impact on your overall cost of recruitment. What’s more, if staff churn is causing disruption, then it’s unlikely that your workforce is operating at maximum productivity.

There’s a mixed picture on attrition across the board, with turnover rates varying by profession and industry. Research carried out by XpertHR shows that general management and admin staff has one of the lowest turnover rates at 3.1%. The second and third lowest rates were engineers at 4.9% and technology staff at 6.8%. At the other end of the scale, the highest turnover rates are amongst publishing and events staff at 17.7%.

Each individual industry faces its own specific challenges, however it’s important to remember that each departing staff member impacts on your business. So, while the turnover rate for engineers at 4.9% seems low compared to the 17.7% average staff turnover in publishing and events, it doesn’t necessarily lessen the impact. The need to source candidates with specific skills and qualifications can take a long time, which extends the period that you’re without a valuable individual and means that the optimum productivity of your workforce is reduced for longer.

Each individual industry faces its own specific challenges, however it’s important to remember that each departing staff member impacts on your business. So, while the turnover rate for engineers at 4.9% seems low compared to the 17.7% average staff turnover in publishing and events, it doesn’t necessarily lessen the impact. The need to source candidates with specific skills and qualifications can take a long time, which extends the period that you’re without a valuable individual and means that the optimum productivity of your workforce is reduced for longer.

And while positions such as general admin may have a lower skills threshold than engineering, making them easier to fill, staff churn is disruptive. Having a plan in place to attract and retain the best talent is always a good idea, and if you find that your turnover rates are starting to creep up it’s worth revisiting your employer branding. Perhaps something is missing, or not connecting with staff and candidates and a few small changes could reduce turnover. The important thing is to monitor and refine: stick with what works and change what doesn’t.

Why businesses benefit from using a recruitment agency

Knowing what will attract candidates, what will drive them away and what will help to keep employees is invaluable. And especially when it comes to attracting candidates in a specialist field, having the experience and know-how of a recruitment agency on your side can make a big difference.

Of course, using a recruitment agency rather than recruiting in-house incurs a cost. However, by making use of a partner with specialist skills, your staff are free to do what they do best, meaning that you save time and money in the long term. Placing the right candidate with your firm will also reduce attrition rates, meaning you spend less on recruitment than you otherwise would have done.

A recruitment agency will be able to personalise their service to the needs of your business, so you can choose exactly the level of involvement that suits you. What’s more, an extensive network of candidates will mean that your agent can think outside of the box and help you to consider candidates that you might not otherwise have done, giving you more choice.

If the true cost of recruitment is proving to be an issue for your business, perhaps we can help? Even if staff retention is something that your company has been struggling with why not give us a call on 01772 259 121? We’ve over thirty years’ recruitment experience and would be pleased to help.

You may also find out recent blog ‘Staff retention – worth the effort?’, of interest if you’re looking for some new ideas on how to retain your staff.

And please feel free to register your vacancy online, if you’re looking to recruit at the moment.