Why We Are Working With Ecologi 

Over the past 24 years, we’ve been proud to support a wide range of charities, initiatives, and organisations as part of our wider CSR Programme.

From foodbank donations, sponsored walks, and baking competitions, to a more holistic look at staff well-being and support, it has been our goal to become a socially responsible business, both internally and externally – making a positive impact on our people and workplace, our clients and suppliers, our local community, and our local and global environment.

The purpose of our programme is to sustain a business that is successful and respected in its ethical standing by our stakeholders. Put simply, doing the right thing and supporting endeavours that matter to the individuals who work here on a deeply personal level.

And, whilst we have supported many national and often international causes, we are particularly passionate about helping those that have roots and impact here in the UK, and in the Northwest.

More recently, we have taken the time to educate ourselves around the importance of environmental sustainability, the effect of our business activities, and the role we must all play in reducing our impact on the planet.

We are therefore delighted to announce our partnership with Ecologi, a certified B-Corp social enterprise, and platform for Climate Action; helping individuals, families, and businesses become Climate Positive.

The enterprise, founded in 2018 by a group of environmentalists in Bristol, is nothing short of extraordinary.

Their platform offers an easy and effective way for businesses and individuals to make a positive impact on the environment by offsetting their carbon footprint and supporting reforestation projects both here in the UK and overseas; helping to protect and restore vital ecosystems that are home to a rich variety of wildlife. In addition, funds are used to support other certified projects focused on avoiding greenhouse emissions, carbon avoidance, and local initiatives that by proxy, are also creating job opportunities across the globe.

They have gained significant publicity and recognition in the last couple of years, scaling up their operations and attracting over 40,000 members (individuals and businesses) who support their mission in taking simple, but impactful climate action.

We have been so impressed by the work that Ecologi does that this year we have committed to funding the planting of trees in the UK for every placement we make. The monies raised collectively support multiple tree-planting partners across the country, including reforestation in Scotland and the reforesting of farmland.

You can see the impact of Ecologi’s work and their UK reforestation projects here.

We have also signed up for the Beta trial, ‘Ecologi Zero’ to calculate our carbon footprint and put plans in place to reduce our emissions.

With our virtual forest all setup, we are excited to turn our placements into planting and will keep all stakeholders updated on the wider impact of this particular element of our CSR programme.

About Clayton Recruitment

Clayton Recruitment has been partnering with organizations 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 existing team or looking for your next career move, we can help. And, if you are currently employed, you can be assured of complete confidentiality, professionalism, and honesty throughout the process – as standard.

Click here to speak to one of our experienced specialists or call 01772 259121 for more information on how our exceptional recruitment experience can help your career aspirations.

The comments of Clayton Recruitment’s Managing Director, Lynn Sedgwick, on job stability is affecting recruitment results, is featured in recruitment news website The Online Recruitment Resource.

Offering her thoughts on the Recruitment market, Lynn said: “We’re finding we’re having some difficult conversations with some clients where they have a poor employee retention reputation – as it often means the best talent will not join their company.

Many candidates are concerned about job stability. The advice we give our candidates when looking for a new opportunity is to establish whether a company is profitable and growing, and whether there is evidence that the business is invested in their own future – do they offer training opportunities to develop the best people, for instance.”

Our latest analysis of the employment landscape in the North West has been covered by Bdaily and Recruitment International.

The analysis is based on a comparison of vacancy levels across our broad areas of expertise and highlights the ongoing skills requirements of employers in the region. The findings reveal that some of the most in-demand roles in the North West currently include Fork Lift Truck Drivers and Sales Administrators.

To read more about the findings as well as the comments of our Commercial Manager Tracey Bolan, please click the links above.

The latest Lancashire market analysis from Clayton Recruitment was featured in the regional business news website Bdaily. The analysis is based on a comparison of vacancy levels across Clayton’s broad areas of expertise and highlights the ongoing skills requirements of employers in the region.

Find out what the top five in demand jobs across Lancashire are along with the comments of Clayton Recruitment’s commercial manager, Tracy Bolan, here.

Our latest analysis of the North West employment market has been covered by Recruitment International, The Global Recruiter and Bdaily, as well as regional newspapers Lancashire Evening Post and Wigan Evening Post.

It is based on a comparison of vacancy levels across our broad areas of expertise and highlights the ongoing skills requirements of employers in the region. The findings reveal that some of the most in-demand roles in the North West currently include fork lift drivers, customer service agents and brand managers.

We regularly carry out market analysis and our most recent data explores the most in demand roles across the North West employment market.  Our Commercial Manager, Tracy Bolan, was recently featured in HR Director discussing the top five roles in demand. Here’s what she had to say:

Payroll Practitioners

“Topping the list for the third quarter in a row, we have seen a huge requirement for payroll experts across the board. This stems from the increased trend of ‘Northshoring’ which has resulted in a plethora of companies relocating their payroll operations to the region. Consequently we have seen clients looking for payroll clerks, administrators and assistants to service these businesses. In addition we have seen demand for professionals at the more senior end of the market including payroll managers and supervisors for firms across the region.”

Maintenance Engineers

“The engineering industry suffers from huge shortages across the board as many of you will already be aware, and maintenance engineers are no different. For these roles in particular, much of the demand stems from the manufacturing arena and employers are increasingly seeking professionals who can not only carry out maintenance to machinery but also drive efficiencies and developments within plants.”

Credit Controllers

“We have seen an increase in the number of companies in the region hiring for credit controllers. These professionals will always be in steady demand as companies ensure they control and manage their debtors effectively. Consequently the recent spike in demand can be attributed to two key factors. Firstly, staff churn and secondly, growth within a particular business which results in the need to bolster its credit control function”.

Accountants in Practice

“The increased demand seen for accountants in practice can largely be attributed to increased workloads seen in the past few months in response to the end of the financial year. However we have also seen a rise in demand for chartered accountants to work in practices across the region thanks to organic growth.”

Marketing and E-Commerce specialists

“Employers across the board are investing heavily in their e-commerce capabilities as consumers demand more from their online experience. Consequently we have seen a huge spike in demand for specialists who can enter a business and develop e-commerce strategies to drive sales in today’s omnichannel marketplace.”

For more insights from the Clayton Recruitment team visit our blog. And if you’re looking for a career move take a look at our vacancies here.

©depositphotos.com/zimmytws

Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director of Clayton Recruitment, recently featured in the Daily Mail offering her top three tips on negotiating the salary you want. Here is her advice:

Demonstrate your worth in monetary terms

‘That means giving examples of the times you’ve saved – or made – your employer money or have achieved something that has made a significant difference to the firm like changing inefficient processes, or opening a new business division.’

Be prepared to negotiate

‘You need to be able to state your case in a clear and concise way and don’t be afraid to haggle. The vast majority of interviewers will expect this to happen and so will leave a bit of wiggle room to potentially move your salary up.’

Good experience if handled correctly

‘The worst thing that can happen – if you conduct yourself properly – is that the interviewer says “no” and that answer won’t last forever. Even an unsuccessful salary negotiation can provide you with good experience so it’s worth giving it a go if you value your chances.’

You can read the article in full here. And more tips from the Clayton Recruitment team visit our blog.

©Depositphoto.com@ garagestock

Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director of Clayton Recruitment, was recently featured on the BBC talking about salary negotiations. So what so jobseekers need to know when it comes to that all important conversation and what are Lynn’s top tips?

Do your research

There are a whole host of websites that can help you assess salary ranges for a particular role – Glassdoor.com is one such example. However it’s also a good idea to speak to recruiters – after all we are placing professionals into jobs every day so we have a good understanding of salary ranges. ​

It is also a good idea to research exactly what the role you are applying for involves – will it include lots of overtime or travel, for example. And if it does will you be compensated for this financially or perhaps offered time off in lieu? This is a point that Philippe Gaud, affiliate professor of management and Human Resources at HEC Paris Executive Education makes in the article. “If you want to create the best conditions for a good salary negotiation with an employer, you should first show that you understand the company’s perspective on compensation,”

What motivates you?

When it comes to the actual negotiating, our very own Lynn Sedgwick believes that it comes down to what motivates you:  “A lot depends on how much you want the job – and what your motivators are. If it’s purely about more money, then go for the highest you feel you honestly deserve, but make sure that you have the lowest figure you are willing to accept in your mind before you start.”  If you’re motivated by things other than money – work life balance, for example, then a different approach may best: ​“Decide how much of a compromise you are willing to make and find out when the next pay review would be and how you will be evaluated,” Lynn concluded.

For more top tips the full article can be found here. And more advice from the Clayton Recruitment team visit our blog.

©Depositphoto.com/@ AndreyPopov

Tracy Bolan, Commercial Manager at Clayton Recruitment, was recently featured in the Blackpool Gazette talking about the most in demand roles in the North West. The analysis was based on a study conducted by comparing vacancy levels across Clayton’s broad areas of expertise and highlights the ongoing skills shortages affecting many fields. Here’s what she had to say;

CSCS Cleaners

“There’s currently a real demand for, but short supply of, cleaners with the required professional certification to work on 80% of UK construction sites. The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Construction Related Occupations (CRO) cards act as industry standard documentation and demonstrates that professionals have both the skills and necessary health and safety knowledge to work in potentially dangerous work sites.”

Payroll Specialists

“At least one payroll specialist is required when a business exceeds a certain size, and the increased level of demand is a positive indication of growth in the region. HR roles and payroll specialists in particular often act as a barometer for both hiring sentiment and general business confidence. However unfortunately there is a shortage of both permanent and temporary payroll specialists, meaning that vacancies continue to outnumber candidates.”

Accounts Assistants

“Finance is a professional sector performing particularly well across the North West at present, and although accounts assistants continue to play a crucial role across both in house teams and accountancy practices, the latter is experiencing a particular shortage. This is likely, in part, due to the stable and lucrative career paths that firms offer, with professionals reluctant to move roles. However as more individuals realise the benefits of relocating to the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ it is likely that these shortages will fall into decline.”

MIG Welders

“As with many highly specialised jobs in the construction sector there is a dearth of MIG welders operating in the region. MIG is a particularly niche area of the wider welding specialism and is utilised in the construction, manufacturing and automotive industries to ensure contaminates don’t enter the weld. The government took action against the shortage of welders in 2013 by allocating £4m to fund high quality welding training, but more needs to be done to encourage both young people and individuals looking to retrain to enter the construction industry.”

Sales Administrators

“Another role which experienced a steady rise in demand is that of sales administrators, over recent years the organisations across the North West have become more profitable and have had a significant number of orders to process. At present administrators are stretched in their roles and candidate supply is falling short of demand.”

For more insights and tips take a look at our blog.

©Depositphoto.com/@ Devon

Ten years ago only a few of us were getting to grips with the early versions of Facebook and had only just discovered the ability to peer into the private lives of people we’d previously only counted as acquaintances. It certainly wasn’t expected that just a decade later you would be hard pressed to find an organisation, or even many individuals, who don’t have some presence on social media in one way or another.

Roles in social media

Tweets, likes, pokes (remember them?) pulse blogs, pinning and regramming were all just glimmers in Mark Zuckerberg and the likes’ eyes and the idea of having a job solely dedicated to something called social media was obviously unheard of. However, things have changed significantly now and social media has not only expanded into people’s personal lives, but also their working ones in many cases. Social media management roles are now commonplace at the majority of organisations, particularly larger ones and thousands of professionals now work in roles related to the field.

We spoke to the Lancashire Evening Post on this very subject last year with our Recruitment Manager, Tracy Bolan outlining some key pointers about working in social media.

“The average starting salary for Social Media Executives is around £18,000 but pay can easily rise to £35,000 and up for Social Media Managers.”

Career paths into social media

And because the field is so new, there are no established paths into a social media role.

“It’s a relatively new concept and new platforms are constantly emerging, so any firm solely looking for employees with marketing degrees is likely to be fishing in a shallow pool. You can gain a lot of valuable experience by using platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram both personally and professionally and having a ‘relevant’ degree certainly isn’t a steadfast requirement.”

However, social media careers aren’t just about following your favourite celebrities and liking your friend’s tweets, you’re in charge of an entire organisations’ online profile and that can be a considerable responsibility. Dozens of companies have embarrassed themselves by not having properly aligned social media communications and this can do considerable harm. At the same time, social media can also present significant opportunities to make a business look good and in touch with its customers or clients. An organisation that replies quickly to its followers when something has gone wrong, for example, is more likely to be seen as responsive and engaged than one which responds sporadically while also posting updates. The latter approach can leave a customer feeling dissatisfied and would probably make them question using the organisation again, while the former is likely to build more of a connection with the firm.

Social media roles are becoming increasingly common, however it’s a big responsibility and you can also expect to be asked to report regularly on engagement, follower numbers and just about every metric you can imagine. If you’re looking for a role in social media, get in touch with our specialist team.