Back To The Blog

Posts Tagged ‘business’

Recruitment in the Age of Technology

May 10th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

Technological advances appear to emerge with ever accelerating regularity, from developments in communication through to pioneering development in toothbrushes – technology continues to augment our daily practices with barely a pause. This technological evolution doesn’t only impact upon our personal lives but also the professional and corporate side of things. In many areas of business; grasping and utilising the latest techniques and cohering with the digital trend is essential to prolonged success.

Recruitment is a prime example of how embracing technology can lead to a more effective business. Recruitment technology has become a sub-industry in its own right, utilising advances in information technology, communication and innovative application of the internet in order to secure results. As Blue Octopus demonstrate, the entire recruitment process can now be successfully and cost effectively carried out online and utilising various platforms, systems and methods, all aspects of the service can be streamlined and integrated. With social media and online job-boards acting as outreach and candidate acquisition channels, email and response forms collecting detailed information and bespoke recruitment software systems processing and organising the relevant data.

This model of social media and online search obtained applications fed into a custom-built database and review platform, linked to a client direct to applicant response platform can be built into a complete integrated system – at Blue Octopus the in-house developed Engage Recruitment Technology system unifies the various platforms. By combining this system with expert recruitment staff and a wealth of industry know-how, Blue Octopus are able to provide an unparalleled service in terms of value and success.

Not only does the intelligent application of integrated software solutions make for a more effective and efficient process but also allows for the service to be performed in a more cost-effective manner. Online recruitment specialists with their own bespoke recruitment technology systems are able to provide a first-rate service at a lower price than their less digitally adept counterparts, furthermore, due to the social prominence of social media and online search, Blue Octopus manage to draw considerably higher numbers of qualified and relevant applications and provide clients with the tools to make their part of the recruitment process as streamlined and straightforward as possible.

The secret to success for companies like Blue Octopus is perfectly designed and maintained recruitment technology systems in conjunction with extensive knowledge and awareness of the industry. This concept can be rolled out across all manner of industries in order to ensure the best possible results and the most efficient utilisation of resources. In order to get ahead in business it is always important to stay up to date with relevant technology and online recruitment shows just how effective the assimilation of new systems into existing practices can be.

Tags: , , , , ,

Posted in Blue Octopus, Recruiters, Recruitment |

UK Unemployment Statistics

April 26th, 2011 by Steph

Current Unemployment

It’s no secret that Britain is struggling to repair itself as a result of the recession. Government cuts are leaving people with no other option than to claim benefits and battle to find work. Unemployment rates are still high although they decreased by 17000 between January 2011 and March 2011. Despite the decrease in unemployment, the number of Job Seeker’s Allowance claimants rose by 700 between February 2011 and March 2011, which isn’t exactly cutting government expenditure.

Unemployment History

The recent recession obviously isn’t the first Britain has battled against. In the early 1980’s and the early 1990’s Britain also suffered recessions. So exactly how severe is the recession in comparison to past economic downturns? The highest rate of unemployment ever recorded in Britain was in January 1982, where unemployment rates rocketed to a staggering 11.9%. This is followed by the 1990 recession whose highest unemployment rate was almost 11%. This leaves the 2009 recession being the least severe, having an unemployment rate high of 8%. Obviously this is good news, but it doesn’t change the severity of the recession and the effects it has had on many people’s lives.

unemployment in recession graph

Current UK Claimant Highs and Lows

By comparing unemployment rates from March 2010 to March 2011 in the UK’s highest unemployment spots it can be said that unemployment rates are slowly decreasing. It’s definitely a positive step that the highest unemployment locations in the UK are showing a slight increase in employment. Birmingham Hodge Hill has the greatest decrease in unemployment whereas; Wolverhampton saw a drastic increase in unemployment. This could be due to closure of a major job source or further government cuts that have been threatened throughout 2011. Overall, the statistics show a slight decrease in unemployment but the UK still has a long journey ahead in terms of economic growth.

unemployment rate graph

The government have also warned that further cuts planned in 2011 could spark an increase in unemployment once again. Combining the job cuts with a drastic increase in University fees in 2012 could spell disaster for the British population and young people have to make the costly decision of whether to choose higher education with minimal graduate job availability, or join many other youths who are forced on to the Job Seeker’s Allowance, spending the majority of their haphazardly day online job hunting with little success.

For many businesses, the overwhelming number of applicants for one advertised job can be mind boggling. Many employers feel their best option is to use Blue Octopus as their flat fee recruitment specialist, who select ideal candidates and notify the employer of the strongest applicants without charging extortionate rates. This helps not only the employer, but also job seekers as they can register and find all their possible career paths in one place, making recruitment and job seeking easier for everyone.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted in Blue Octopus, Job Hunting Tips, News, Recruitment, Students and Graduates |

Recruitment 2010 – An Infographic

January 14th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

Recruitment Infographic

2010 has been a tough year for both industry and individuals. The recession has only just come to an end and the new government have imposed high levels of spending cuts.  As a result of these spending cuts, many public service workers have been made redundant causing a shortfall of jobs in numerous areas. In addition to problems in the public sector, the private sector has also faced turbulent times, with the reduced lending to small businesses resulting in an increase in redundancies and bankruptcies. The knock-on effect has impacted heavily upon the recruitment industry at large and in turn resulted in high levels of unemployment.

The infographic above serves to show the severity of the situation with regard to recruitment. Compiled using authoritative data sourced by REC, AGR, LFS, and Reed Recruitment, this graphic representation gives you an instant insight into just how much of a struggle 2010 has been in recruitment.

It is not however all doom and gloom. For a start, PwC have performed research which points towards somewhere in the region of 28% of UK companies increasing their number of staff during the course of 2011. This forecast is enforced by the findings of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) which show that the overall number of job placements grew substantially at the tail end of 2010, which implies that faith and opportunity are once again showing signs of growth in the private job sector.

We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this subject, send us an email if you have anything you’d like to share.

Tags: , , , ,

Posted in Blue Octopus, News, Recruiters, Recruitment |

Prepare For Growth in 2011

January 11th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

For many companies 2011 is something of a ‘make or break’ year. With the recession finally making way for a time of potential growth, now is the time for ambitious organisations to push for expansion, growth and success. An essential aspect of corporate success lies in the recruitment of the best possible staff to help drive the company forward and cope with increased demand and pressure.

Given the cuts and imminent job losses in the public sector, relatively high volume of redundancies in the private sector and ever growing population of university graduates; there are currently an abundance of highly trained, skilled and experienced candidates for all manner of job positions. In addition to the availability of so many individuals who are currently out of employment, the beginning of January is historically the most active time of year for job applicants (as a consequence of New Year’s resolutions amongst other things) – meaning that the opportunity to find the best possible new recruit for your organisation is currently at its peak.

With this wealth of available talent you need the means to source the best candidates to bring through to the interview stage of the process. This can be an incredibly time consuming task – particularly given the large number of applications employers are currently receiving for their positions. In order to uncover the best possible individuals for the job, the use of a cutting edge recruitment organisation like Blue Octopus is often the most effective means approach. Not only are we experts in writing job adverts and distributing them to the right places, but also highly experienced when it comes to analysing CVs and applications in order to find the best possible candidates to put forward to interview.

In order to provide the best possible value for our services we practice flat fee recruitment (otherwise known as fixed fee recruitment) which does away with placement fees, offering a fresh approach for which a one off, standard fee is charged – regardless of the salary of the role being recruited. This form of recruitment means that it costs the same low fee to source a new director as it does anyone else: potentially saving thousands of pounds compared to more the old-fashioned practices and charges of some recruitment agencies. As well as charging incredibly low fees, we also operate strictly on behalf of our clients – candidates are not kept on file and shipped out over and over again, each campaign is fresh and targeted to get the best possible people for every position. This client-focused service is backed up by extensive industry experience and cutting edge technology such as our innovative Engage platform which seamlessly integrates your recruitment campaigns into your Human Resources activity.

Capitalising on the opportunities presented by the economic and employment landscape at the beginning of 2011 could well be the catalyst for your organisation’s continued success well into the next decade and beyond. If you would like to discuss what we can do for you then please get in touch.

Tags: , , , , ,

Posted in News, Recruiters, Recruitment |