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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.

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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.

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

The Five Fundamentals of Effective Candidate Interviews

April 12th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

Here at Blue Octopus we take the hassle out of the recruitment process through the co-ordinated utilisation of bespoke recruitment tools and extensive experience. Utilising our service it couldn’t be simpler to source a collection of CVs from highly qualified and suitable candidates. Having assembled the details of potential new employees it’s time to meet them face to face in order to establish if they’re the ideal new recruit for your business.

Dependant on position, company ethos and industry; job interviews are always likely to be a little different. There are however a few universal principles that we would strongly recommend that you follow in order to get the most from the interview process and ultimately ensure that you bring on board the best possible new recruit/s:

1- Prepare

As with many things, proper preparation is key to effective candidate interviews. Prior to interviewing it is important to assemble your decision makers and establish precisely what you are looking for in a new recruit. Although not compulsory, it is also often useful to set interviewees a pre-interview task in order to gain an understanding of their proficiency and ability to perform an aspect of the role to a deadline. It should go without saying how important it is to thoroughly read through a candidate’s CV and cover letter before they arrive so that you can draw up some relevant and useful questions for the interview.

2- Put the interviewee at ease

Stress rarely enhances performance; make sure to calm the interviewee’s nerves on arrival in order to get the best idea of their suitability. Although it can be useful to see how the candidate reacts under pressure, they are very likely to be feeling a little stressed on arrival anyway- be friendly and approachable on greeting so that they feel as comfortable as possible and ready to answer your probing questions

3- Utilise open-ended questions

Although the onus is upon the interviewee to provide detailed and thorough responses to questions – open-ended questions (utilising words such as ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’ and ‘where’) are a great tool to ensure that you aren’t simply met with a series of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers.

4- Enquire into the interviewee’s interests outside of work

The chances are that you’re hiring a person not just a keyboard warmer, so make sure they fit in with the rest of the staff. Simply asking about a candidate’s interests and hobbies provides you with a valuable insight into their personality and general ‘3-dimensionality’.

5- Encourage the interviewee to ask you questions

Not only will their questions demonstrate their research and awareness, but also allow you to sell yourselves to them as a company. The interview is a two-way process; you’re not just looking for someone you believe to be capable of adding value to your organisation but also aiming to show the interviewee why and how they would benefit from working for you.

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Posted in Blue Octopus, Recruiters, Recruitment |

Press Release – Blue Octopus engages with Sleepmasters to cut hiring time

April 6th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

This wonderful article was published on The Recruiter website earlier today, we thought you might like to give it a read!:

Blue Octopus engages with Sleepmasters to cut hiring time

Sleepmasters, one of the UK’s largest bed retailers, has reduced its average vacancy length from over 50 days to 22 using the Engage Recruitment Technology from Blue Octopus.

Noel Jolly, head of HR at Sleepmasters, which is the first company to use the product, told Recruiter that the simplicity of the system and its self-sifting abilities are the two main reasons for the improvement. “We have a system that has reduced spend and crucially time spent on recruitment for our sales managers. A store manager who has never seen the system can be given enough information to use it effectively in 15 minutes over the phone,” he says. “This year is the first year of the last eight where we have entered our busiest trading period fully staffed.”

The retailer has 180 locations nationwide, including stores, a network of four distribution centres and headquarters in Accrington in the North-West of England, and all of these are integrated into the web-based e-recruitment platform. Jolly said the system has also proved invaluable in the visibility of recruitment activity and has enabled them to closely monitor line managers when they are involved in the process. “The system makes this easy because of the audit trail that clearly shows on each vacancy,” he said.

Jolly could not comment on the impact on recruitment spend yet but said the company is well “ahead of budget this year”, whereas last year it overspent.

The Engage family of e-recruitment systems has been developed by West Yorkshire-based Blue Octopus Software Solutions, a division of recruiter Blue Octopus Recruitment. All the software development work is done in-house by a team led by brothers Talvinder and Sandeep Nagra.

Blue Octopus itself specialises in flat-free recruitment advertising and candidate management services, and the Engage technology is based on a system it developed for its own use.

Chris Coleman, a former headhunter who founded the company with his brother Liam, said they decided to develop a version for clients after listening to clients’ frustrations about other systems.

“We took on board their comments of it needing to be really simple to use and easily rolled out to line managers. Every implementation is bespoke and can fit in with a client’s processes,” said Coleman, who has been involved in online recruitment for several years. “One element, for instance, takes into account a vacancy requisition process that has to take place first.”

Applicants apply online and are screened and managed through the system. As well as a filtering system, the features include a talent pool facility, which can help to reduce advertising and re-advertising costs. Candidates can register for alerts when a job becomes available at the company and be matched to particular roles according to their preferences.

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Posted in Blue Octopus, News, Recruitment |

What is the Government Apprenticeship Scheme?

March 16th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

apprenticeship

The concept of the apprentice harks back to a time when vocations were the only real option; from apprentice blacksmiths through to apprentice grocers; apprenticeship was a means of learning a trade and forging a future. The apprenticeship scheme has been recently revamped and brought very much up to date in a way which is sure to appeal to ambitious young people and companies alike. So, what are the benefits of the modern apprenticeship scheme?:

For The Apprentice

It is common knowledge that the cost of going to university is rising rapidly as a consequence of significant increases in tuition fees. Even with the current system, graduates are leaving education with debts in the region of tens of thousands of pounds. Just as disconcerting is the glut of graduates who are finding themselves either unemployed or unable to secure a position in their chosen field despite their degree. Although university will continue to be the best route for many individuals – it is by no means the most beneficial option for everyone. The apprenticeship scheme allows school leavers to get on the job experience in their chosen field and to earn money in the process. The skills an apprentice develops during the course of their apprenticeship can be invaluable in terms of both personal development and career progression.

One of the most appealing aspects of the apprenticeship scheme for those getting involved is the payment aspect. Employers taking on apprentices are legally obligated to pay them at least the national minimum wage for apprentices of £2.50 per hour. Although this isn’t the most impressive sum, research has indicated that thanks to the development of an apprentice’s skill set over time; apprentices on average take home somewhere in the region of £170 net per week. Earning this amount of money whilst learning a trade and opening the door to future career development is an incredible opportunity, especially when compared to the net cost of university education. Apprentices also benefit from other employment perks such as a minimum of 20 days per year paid holiday.

For The Employer

In terms of your bottom line, apprentices can provide incredible improvement due to the considerably lower wage cost compared to options such as looking to hire skilled staff. In addition to costing the company less, due to the nature of the apprenticeship scheme, apprentices tend to be enthusiastic, highly motivated and focussed on both learning and performing. Provided you have the time and resources to aid an apprentice with comprehensive training and skill development you may also find yourself with a new member of staff on a long term basis – who is thoroughly versed in your operations.

The apprenticeship scheme benefits all parties involved, whether you’re a firm looking to employ new staff or a school leaver hoping to secure a bright future in business then it’s well worth investigating the options.

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Posted in News, Recruiters, Recruitment, Students and Graduates |

Engage: The Visionary all-seeing Recruitment System from Blue Octopus

March 9th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

Blue Octopus, the no nonsense flat fee recruitment company has developed a visionary recruitment system specially created and designed for its clients to have an all seeing instantaneous view of all recruitment activity.

Uniquely, Engage Recruitment Technology™, allows a total and instantly updated overview of all job applicants: which to pursue, which to discard and which to put on hold. And it doesn’t stop there, each candidate’s details can be quickly accessed and it is ingeniously simple to use so there is no down time or expensive training.

Each client of Blue Octopus can have a tailor-made system which ensures they get just what they need. The old, agonising process of filtering paper applications is now firmly in the dustbin. Applicants apply online, get screened in the first instance and are managed through the recruitment process via the innovative Engage Recruitment Technology™. There is an effective traffic light system which takes minutes to assess.

Blue Octopus Joint Founder and Director, Chris Coleman says: “We have developed our Engage Recruitment Technology over the last few months specifically based on what our clients have told us they need to run an efficient HR and recruitment department. We tailor each system to absolutely match their requirements to ensure they have a highly efficient and speedy solution.”

Already one of the UK’s largest bed retailers, Sleepmasters, has bought into Engage and now use it to maintain its 650 strong workforce for recruiting. It currently has over 150 stores and a network of 4 distribution centres in England, Wales and Ireland, with its HQ in Accrington, all of which will be integrated into their new recruitment system.

Noel Jolly, Head of HR, Sleepmasters, says: “Sleepmasters has used E-recruitment as its primary source of filling vacancies for the past 5 years. We have found it essential for a retail business like ours to effectively recruit at the speed and in the quantity we need to remain successful and a leader in our field. Although systems have developed dramatically recently, Blue Octopus has revolutionised the way we now operate. By simply listening to what we need, they built a system that perfectly fits like our business and is of immense benefit, providing the key to employment success.

He continues “Our key issues and pressures were taken extremely seriously by the Blue Octopus programming team, with speed, flexibility and simplicity taking priority. We have a system that has reduced spend and crucially the time spent on recruitment for our Sales Managers. 2011 is the first year of the last eight where we have entered our busiest trading period fully staffed. The team at Blue Octopus has played a truly significant part with its levels of commitment, professionalism and advice, second to none, and are proud to say that Blue Octopus is our recruitment partner.”

Blue Octopus Software Solutions, a division of Blue Octopus Recruitment Limited is run by Talvinder Nagra along with his brother Sandeep. It has developed Engage Recruitment Technology™ and maintains the internal sales and support systems within the Company and provides the design and implementation of integrated careers websites for clients.

For a free consultation on Blue Octopus’ Engage Recruitment Technology™ please contact Chris Coleman or Talvinder Nagra on 0845 671 1189 or use the Blue Octopus contact form.

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Posted in News, Recruiters, Recruitment |

Modern Recruitment – The Benefits of Flat Fee Recruitment

March 7th, 2011 by Jamie Rock

Recruitment is an ever changing practice and over the last few decades has consequently become a consistently evolving standalone industry. As techniques develop and the power of the internet as a recruitment tool begins to exert its force to an increasingly greater extent, new schools of recruitment methodology have formed. Modern day recruitment is a much more elaborate and targeted process than simply placing an advert in the jobs section of the newspaper, similarly;  choosing the best form of recruitment for your company can be a complicated undertaking given the vast differences in technique, practices and price.

The core factor to look at if you are comparing the relative merits of different recruitment organisations is value. Value in terms of the best candidate at the best possible price, as opposed to simply opting for inconsistent quality and service but at the lowest possible cost. At the other end of the spectrum, laying out tens of thousands of pounds for a new director through a headhunting agency will not necessarily ensure that you get a better person for the job. In the majority of instances flat fee recruitment (also known as fixed fee recruitment) will turn out to be the most cost effective way of filling individual roles or multiple positions with the best possible candidates.

Flat fee recruitment (as the name suggests) is a service which is performed for clients for an arranged fixed cost and is ideal for companies of all sizes. The pre-established set fee ensures that the recruitment process falls firmly within budget and similarly; those organisations who are looking to fill more than one role don’t have to pay any extra if they chose to employ any number of candidates sourced by the fixed fee campaign.

As flat fee recruiters, at Blue Octopus we work more closely with the client and launch fresh, carefully planned advertising campaigns through relevant job boards and online and offline versions of major publications. In contrast to many ‘industry specific’ recruitment agencies who build a pool of candidates within a certain sector who they then attempt to sell to companies for a percentage of the new employee’s salary for their first year – fixed fee recruitment organisations act 100% in the best interests of the client and generate new applications in each instance.

For smaller companies or those operating on a particularly tight recruitment budget flat fee recruitment allows them absolute budgetary control to ensure that they are not spending more than they are comfortable to do so. Whilst larger companies are also likely to enjoy this benefit, they are most probably going to be even more drawn to the idea of paying a set fee as opposed to a potentially huge sum as a percentage of a new employee’s salary. Companies of all sizes and turnovers will surely enjoy the benefit of being able to allocate resources to more pressing business requirements by outsourcing their recruitment to experts rather than having to deal with it in-house.

If would like to discuss the flat fee recruitment service we provide with one of our experts then click here and fill in your details so that we can get back to you.

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Posted in Blue Octopus, News, Recruiters |

Job Creation in 2011

February 23rd, 2011 by Jamie Rock

online recruitment

The team behind the Barclays Corporate Job Creation Survey 2011 have announced the findings of their recent study into the job creation intentions of UK businesses – and the results look potentially promising. Having considered the answers of five hundred executives from UK businesses of varying sizes, the survey has shone some light onto prospective hiring plans across a range of sectors and drawn the following conclusions.

Regional:

  • 58% of companies in the North of England intend to create jobs during the course of 2011; provided they see an upturn in sales.
  • Of the proposed roles to be created in the North; two-thirds are anticipated to be at a junior to middle management level or skilled labour.
  • 85% of the executives from North based organisations were found to be of the opinion that growth in sales will be the precursor to the creation of new jobs, as opposed to the other way round.

Nationwide:

  • Around 85% of the businesses spoken to with turnover in excess of £500million per annum expressed that they intend to create full time positions during the course of the year.
  • Smaller organisations (with turnover up to £5million per annum) were less optimistic than their larger counterparts. Of those asked, 41% were confident that they would be creating new jobs in 2011.
  • Of the 41% of smaller businesses with intention to offer new positions – only half were expecting these roles to be of a fulltime nature.

So, What Does This Mean?

Although it appears that not all companies are preparing to recruit  for fulltime positions in the immediate future, and also that companies in the North are for the most part only looking to do so if they experience an upturn in revenue: these findings should certainly induce some confidence overall. As the economy at large is beginning to haul its way out of recession, it is highly likely that many businesses will indeed find themselves experiencing more sales than in previous years and consequently will be looking at job creation to sustain their growth.

Graduates in the North should also look at these findings with a sense of optimism given the proposed areas for job creation. Junior management positions will be hotly fought over but provided enough are created, skilled graduates stand a good chance of making headway along their career path. Similarly, the proposed requirement for skilled labour should bolster the options for those of a vocational training background. At the other end of the spectrum, public sector workers facing redundancy may not have quite as much to be confident about – the survey also found that around a third of Northern companies would not look to employ an ex-public sector worker.

Although this survey does of course only represent the views of a small portion of the huge number of companies in the UK; the outlook does seem to be rosy for the most part – provided businesses experience the growth to cover the cost of job creation.

If you’re looking to bring new staff onboard this year or would simply like to discuss the feasibility of doing so then please get in touch with our expert recruitment team.

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Posted in News, Recruiters, Recruitment |

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.

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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.

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Posted in News, Recruiters, Recruitment |

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