Here’s the scenario:



A recruiter has lined up a series of potential candidates for an opening. Having carefully ascertained their capabilities, character, potential and degree of experience, one candidate is heads and shoulders above the rest.



But there’s a problem. He’s got too much experience. You see, the candidate is a babyboomer – and he’s got the grey hairs to show it.



It’s not a problem for the recruiter. After all, he knows…

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How many British people do you think are living overseas?

The answer is 5.5 million. And if you include those who regularly spend part of the year living abroad, we’re closing in on 6 million.

And the Institute for Public Policy Research, which supplied the statistics, is forecasting the number to steadily increase by the year.

So that’s a remarkable one in 10 of us Brits. I'm not sure the American figure, but sure it's…

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True story. Pete is a dear friend of mine. After eight years in recruitment, has decided that he’s had enough.

He’s had enough of the hours.

He’s had enough of the chasing.

He’s had enough of the competition.…

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It’s no challenge to place a “great candidate” – you know the typ: the right education, the right career history, cookie cutter objective, perfect fit. But what about a “great candidate” who doesn’t tick the conventional boxes but you know could deliver on the job?



The biggest leap story we heard was from a nationwide recruiter who said one of her most satisfying placements was rebranding a vicar as a sales executive. He successfully made the transition and was able to use his… Continue

Is there a best way to recruit? What makes some recruitment agencies more successful than others? With competition amongst candidates and agencies rapidly increasing, the solution is surely a holy grail for the recruitment consultant.



We think we have the answer – Recruitment is an artform not a science: and understanding that is what puts one agency above another.



Why do we think that? Well simply because the process of recruitment – call it the science of recruitment -… Continue

As business becomes more global, it increasingly encounters a more culturally diverse customer base. Hiring a varied workforce shows respect for customer diversity, may increase the extent to which customers identify with the company, and secures internal innovation.



Recruiting is one of the most difficult tasks an employer can face, and many can often be heard complaining that it is difficult to secure the right talent, particularly at the top end of the scale.



Could it… Continue

The recruitment industry is highly fragmented. There are about 20 major players accounting for almost 25% of revenues generated and the remainder of the sector is divided between several thousand smaller consultancies.



In the same way that candidates fight for jobs, agencies are fighting for contracts. How can agencies differentiate from the competition?



I was having the discussion with a consultant this week who identified a strong factor that had resulted in their agency… Continue

How does your organisation approach interviewing – as a means or an end?





No matter what the size of company, whether it is a corporate HR department or a sole trader… Continue

Even before “To google” became a verb, digital technology formed the pervasive backdrop for economic activity. Nowadays, even the most savvy recruiters are challenged to keep pace with the new functionality and devices that are constantly appearing in the marketplace. However, many recruitment consultancies appear to be adopting a “business as normal” approach without recognition of the tide change that digital technology brings. Companies who continue on, without addressing or integrating new… Continue

Employers need to think big about how they are going to showcase their organisational culture and people to draw in, attract, and retain the next wave of high potential talent. While baby boomers still firmly rule the roost in the workplace, a new generation of graduates are emerging with a different set of influences and cultural reference points.



These graduates have grown up with technology around them, and thus have a different set of expectations from the world they interact… Continue

Are you an employer or employee with views on workforce training? I’d love to hear from you and invite your comments below…



What price ignorance? What price training?



As organisational purse strings tighten, training is one of the first things to go. A report in The Guardian mentions that during 2009 more than half the training managers in over a hundred large companies saw their training budgets cut or threatened, so the debate is… Continue

There is a growing concern amongst employers that Britain's schools and universities are failing to prepare students for life after university. The days of Britain's schools and universities being dedicated to the pursuit of obscure and arcane knowledge, 'Pimms and Punting,' and afternoon debates about Heidegger and Hegel have long since passed. Schools and universities are now institutions, first and foremost, whose job is to prepare people for the outside world.



Susan Lambert, Head… Continue