To discuss your next move in the Contact Centre market, please contact Kirsty Peacock – kpeacock@fpsgconnect.co.uk

FPSG Connect held a Client Quiz Night at the Bath Street Pony in October.  There was a great attendance and a fun time had by all.  Who knew that a group of normally passive business professionals could become so competitive over tunes from the 70’s and flags of the world?!  That said we have all been educated and definitely gleaned some useless knowledge for the future…..none of us will ever forget what WD40 stands for – top tip, its not Wax Dripping!!

Well…………., not really new so much as moved along a bit really, but due to the whole group experiencing a period of growth, which resulted in a number of new appointments (mine included!) across several of the companies, we’ve had to re-shape the office.

So out went the old boardroom and interview rooms first and the new boardroom and interview rooms were put in place. Next, one of our sister companies moved, but our own move still seemed a long way off! But this Friday it’s our turn!

We’ve been waiting weeks for this moment (like children driving their parents mad on a long journey asking “Are we nearly there yet??”) and the excitement has been building….. along with the smell of freshly painted walls……

Each day we’ve arrived eagerly anticipating the work carried out the night before. Each of us thinking “Is it nearly finished?”

Ideas have been flowing……..”Shall we have a Client area?” “Shall we have a break-out zone?” “How about painted whiteboards instead of the traditional ones?” A sense of pride in our new surroundings prevails.

We watch and listen eagerly as the MD fends off yet another question of “What’s the seating plan?”……….

Each division makes plans for future expansion and details how many seats they need now, how many in 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and so on. There is an air of anticipation and positivity as everyone can see and almost feel the growth.

Friday will be here soon…….

We’ll all be dressed down so that we can help to move the furniture and get stuck in. We’ll get used to our new surroundings in the afternoon and we may even celebrate with a drink after work.

Then we’ll walk in on Monday morning, knowing all the answers to our previous questions, and feeling excited about the next phase of our continuing journey………..in our new “home”.

This is one of the only events in the IT calendar that brings everyone together in one location, to talk about what is going on in the community and from a recruitment perspective, a perfect networking opportunity.

ScotSoft as an event is essentially a conference on the industry, what is happening, what will be happening and includes a recognition of the fresh talent of tomorrow through the Young Software Engineer of the Year.  As conferences go, it was informative and thought provoking, driven by four very prestigious speakers from all different areas in technology.  This year the topics covered a debate relating to data and the importance of harnessing big data, to the importance of security and protecting data.  In particular the speakers from The Aston Group and Bright Solid were very informative in terms of up coming technology and uplifting in terms of motivational speaking.

The day then moves to refreshments before the evening proceedings take place.  This gives those in attendance time to talk to those in the business and stimulate conversation around the conference topics covered.

Afterwards, the evening kicks off with a lovely dinner and takes the time to award those recent Graduates who have shown outstanding achievements within their field.  Looking at this from a recruitment perspective this is where you find the fresh new talent that you would like to introduce to your clients however this I think, is what everyone in the room is thinking.

The night is rounded off with an after dinner speaker and this year was no let down with comedian Kevin Bridges taking the evening to a close.   In terms of his set he was a good choice in my mind as he is completely removed from the IT world however I feel this made him more amusing.  He put a comedic spin on the IT world which is in my mind not an easy achievement. To be honest however for me this was the highlight of the day as I was looking forward to this and he did not disappoint.

In closing thoughts ScotSoft 2011 was an enjoyable day, from a beautiful setting of Prestonfield House to an informative conference and to round off the day with a lovely meal and fantastic evening entertainment made the day all worth while.  In terms of a networking opportunity there is no better event in the technology calendar in terms of clients who attend and time spent with priceless face to face conversation.  I came away from the event feeling I had learned a thing or two and had an uplifting feeling due to entrepreneurial and inspirational speaking throughout the day…….looking forward to the 2012 event already….!

•  Avoid special effects, weird and wonderful fonts, graphics etc., stick to traditional font of Times New Roman / Arial, 12 point size, and black type against a white paper. You might try a different type size for your name, the companies you have    worked and perhaps your title (possibly even putting these in bold), but be consistent.
• Prepare it in a simple Word format that can easily be viewed on most computers. Not a table format or template.
• Use a reverse chronological order, so list your present or most recent job, first, and then work backwards. You should state the complete name of the company you work for, or have worked for, and what they do, how long you were there (ideally month and year). Then list the position you hold or held, a bit about your duties and your accomplishments. You don’t have to use full sentences, also it sometimes looks cleaner if it is bullet pointed. Begin with verbs. “Managed the top 10 Key Accounts in Scotland – Consistently over-achieved against set targets,” for example.
• Get rid of objectives and summary and all that silly stuff, it’s all fluff really and an employer doesn’t care about your pbjective, they care about there’s.
• Don’t go overboard on the personal information such as married with three kids, aged 13yrs, 17yrs & 23yrs etc. This may sounds stable to you, but if the position involves travel, it may lower your chances of being interviewed.
• Stories sell. Numbers, statistics, percentages is what makes you different to other candidates. For example - Increased profit by this 28%. Came under budget by 30%. Top Salesperson 2009 – 2010. These kind of achievements are what makes YOU stand out from the crowd.
• Fuzzy key words and phrases should be avoided. These include things like customer-oriented, excellent communications skills, and creative. These words lack meaning and do absolutely nothing to help you get an interview.
• Get the photos off your CV, you are looking for a job, not a date.

Obviously this is my view from my experience, but feel free to challenge and please let me know if you have different ideas?

So what is best, Line Manager, or HR, or would we as recruiters be best placed to deal with both in terms of job specifications, turnaround, interview structure and continuity in hiring process.

When dealing directly with the hiring manager I always feel you get a better understanding of the role and what the manger is “actually “ looking for in a candidate. You have much more control of the process and can add real value as a recruitment consultant by advising the manager on the candidates suitability by going beyond the CV. Dealing with the manager also allows you to build a relationship with them directly which also allows for a communication line regarding what hiring is coming up next etc.

On the flip side working directly with the line manager provides its own drawbacks and challenges. HR recruiters are there to manage the recruitment process which means when dealing with managers certain things such as job specifications, defined time lines on CV turn-around and the continuity in interview structures can
sometimes go missing. HR recruiters understand that these things are vital for attracting candidates to the company and conveying a positive message to the
rest of the market, after all there is no worse PR than having a candidate slating a company (especially in such an incestuous market such as Scotland) due to a poorly managed interview process and no feedback.

There are endless pro’s and con’s to Recruiting via HR or Directly with the Hiring Manager. It’s a question I’m sure Recruiters will be pondering for generations to come….but it would be good to get opinions? 

Alongside our stand were major consultancies and software houses providing insight into what is available in the local market. Representative from each organisation provided an overview of the types of positions available and discussed the candidate’s background and opportunities open to them.

For many of the people attending it was one of their first tastes of discussing their skills/experience and how they can utilise these locally.

The event is one of several opportunities for candidates to interact with potential employer. The feedback for many candidates was that the day helped them understand the opportunities open to them and the mechanisms for taking the next steps.

3 months of success….

I have been learning from the most experienced consultants in this field. FPSG Connect tasked me to develop the specialised Advertising / Media sales – a broad market but essentially selling or soliciting advertising space or products, primarily for directories, newspapers, digital, radio and outdoor advertisers. Having gained exceptional training and support, I am well on my way to becoming a specialist consultant in this market.

Relationship building is one of my key strengths and I will put this to good use when extending my client and candidate base of happy customers.

Are you passionate about sales, proactive and self-motivated with the drive to succeed in a competitive market? Do you have a strong B2B background and have ambition to be a success? If you do, please get in touch!

 Mhairi Bennett – mbennett@fpsgconnect.co.uk

 In our office, opinion seems to be divided on this topic.   Personally I think it is an easier transition to move from volume recruitment to a more specialised recruitment role than vice versa.   My first proper recruitment piece was for high volume industrial temps for a very demanding client who required various types of testing (including drugs) covering 24 hour shift patterns in difficult to reach locations (no public transport).  I was thrown in right at the deep end with the words “financial penalties” ringing in my ears if I didn’t deliver what we said we would, with the right quality of candidates and within the given timescales.   This required lots of planning and preparation.  By the end of the first week I knew exactly how many calls I had to make each day to get the right amount of candidates to pass the telescreen, attend assessment, pass the reading / writing and drug tests, have the correct proof of eligibility to work in the UK paperwork and turn up on day one.  Juggling this with organising transport, shifts, keeping candidates warm, attracting new candidates quicker than the other agencies, dealing with absence, lateness and broken down buses plus client side meant for a very fast paced and busy day.  I feel this gave me a very good grounding for my recruitment career as from day one you learn the importance of hitting the numbers and organising yourself to achieve your target.  Not only that, due to the financial penalties I was never tempted to over promise when I couldn’t deliver, definitely a good tip for the future.   This is something I have kept with me throughout my career and I have successfully made the transition to volume contact centre (temp & perm) to specialised Contact Centre (mainly bilingual) and now Sales & Marketing.  So in answer to the original question, Yes, I do think it is possible but I don’t think it is inevitable.

 In contrast I think it would be much harder to transfer from a specialised recruitment role (for example from recruiting £80K finance candidates) to recruiting a high volume contact centre candidates being paid £12K.   The change in pace, type of candidate, search and source methods would be huge.  The other issue would be why would a good recruiter want to make this move?  I don’t personally know anyone that has made this transition.   Do you?  I recently put a poll on Linkedin to see what other people thought http://linkd.in/nR347y.   Please feel free to vote and leave any opinions.

Close Close Close – Always ask a closing question at the end of the interview, irrespective whether you are going for a job as a Sales Professional, an Administration Assistant or a Java Developer this is crucial. Also you will know when to ask that all important question as the interviewer will invariably ask you if you have any other questions you would like to ask……..….this is it, this is your big finale……Now you can ask various questions including ….What do you think of me, or do I tick all the boxes, or is there any reason why I would not be invited back for a 2^nd interview etc., but the most important thing is that you must ask the question. Why….because this is the only opportunity you get to get proper face to face feedback so use it wisely, don’t leave the interview thinking to yourself….I should have asked this or I should have asked that cause its too late….ABC – Always Be Closing……Good luck