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How can businesses improve engagement with their most important asset — TALENT.

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A worker is no longer the average 9-to-5 employee. Rather, an organisation’s people are its talent, representing a diverse range of individuals including brand ambassadors, gig economy workers, social influencers and partners. These individuals reside both inside and outside the walls of the organisation.

In this new world of talent, it is important for businesses to recognise that their collective workforces often comprise individuals from different backgrounds and diversity who come with differing perspectives, experiences and goals. Organisations that acknowledge and value each individual’s experience place the entire person at

the centre of what they do, aiming to create a sustained and connected experience for all their people. To create an environment that values all people, bold leadership should champion the human experience and help ensure that the workforce is included.

Integrating the talent and customer experiences we see a common theme—the human connection matters more than anything else. Successful organisations should account for all humans within their ecosystem (including the workforce) and align them with the organisation’s purpose.

 

How businesses can unlock the talent experience.

Having understood how to engage customers beyond the walls of the organisation, many business owners are embracing the challenge of creating deeper, more meaningful engagement with their people. Drawing on research, we outline specific strategies that show how many companies are supporting the talent experience:

 

  1. Build a symbiotic workforce and customer experience.

 

Your workforce can be your best ambassador. Being authentic to your workforce, leading with values and supporting collaboration across the organisation strengthens the human experience for all people and helps provide an environment in which your workforce can thrive. Take the example of

 

  1. Value personal interaction.

 

In the new world of work, it can be difficult to evoke loyalty in the workforce, with more than half of all workers thinking about leaving their jobs according to a recent report on talent in the workforce. Retaining people typically requires building real relationships. Companies often design tech-enabled sensing and monitoring systems to track and gather feedback on the talent experience. However, the challenge is to identify the appropriate time to implement and use feedback rapidly. Pulsing surveys sense how and whether the workforce is having a good experience and whether they might leave the company. Making them a routine practice can enable real-time course correction if a person is contemplating changing jobs. Unlock the value of data to understand how and whether people are fulfilled in their work, but do not lose touch with the value of personal interaction. Many workers especially value opportunities to build relationships with each other and with leadership. Find time to meet face to face and use pulsing survey data to assess how a person is feeling in the moment to share positive stories, praise and mitigate challenges.

 

  1. Go beyond the four walls.

The marketing function and the CMO already serve as brand ambassadors for customers. In the new world of work, it can be increasingly difficult to uphold values and understand who aligns with your purpose outside of your walls. Similarly, what it means to be part of the workforce is changing dramatically, making it even more important for companies to have oversight of every person’s “talent experience.”  The goal is to bridge gaps and better account for the collective customer, workforce and partner experience.

 

Improving-the-talent-experiece-Graffiti-Recruitment

 

In this new world of talent, it is important for businesses to recognise that their collective workforces often comprise individuals from different backgrounds and diversities, who come with differing perspectives, experiences, and goals. Embrace IT! If you would like to explore other options to improve your talent engagement or need support on expanding your already fantastic team then please get in touch, we would love to hear from you. 

Top 6 IT Hiring Trends For 2018

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Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift.

The good times for tech workers will continue through the next year, which found that today’s tech talent gap will continue to put pressure on businesses in 2018 to the benefit of those they are looking to hire.

A recent survey with over 8000 technology professionals completed by Robert Half gave us an interesting insight into the IT Job World. We found that the fight for talent has companies offering tech workers generous perks, incentives and competitive salaries — and that tech work itself has become a more satisfying & overall a less stressful Job.

Following are Six of the biggest trends in IT hiring and how it will impact both employers and employees in the year ahead.

1.     The Skills Gap still remains

The talent shortage for tech workers is “no longer just an inconvenience for any employers — it’s quickly becoming a significant business problem,” And when companies do find tech talent, they often can’t afford it, as they are being out priced by the larger corporations.

According to a recent survey with smaller business owners 44 percent of Hiring Manager or Business Owners say they miss out on top talent because candidates are seeking higher salaries than they’re able to offer. As a result, there’s been an increase in companies hiring less experienced workers who are “motivated to learn new skills quickly.”

2.     Interview Process is too slow

To get the best talent during a shortage, businesses need to speed up the hiring process. This study found that, while it’s understandable business want to be thorough, many companies are dragging out the hiring process. That’s a problem because around two-thirds of the non-executive technology professionals surveyed said they would “lose interest in a job if there was no follow-up within a week of an interview.”

The survey found that hiring managers are somewhat aware of this problem, as 41 percent said they are unhappy with the length of their hiring processes. On average, the survey found it takes 4.5 weeks to fill a staff-level role. Businesses need to establish a smooth hiring process so that they can quickly hire and onboard qualified talent.

3.     Automation is shifting skills

Automation isn’t poised to kill jobs just yet. At least for now, it’s simply changing the skills that are important to businesses. The finance industry is already experiencing a skills shift thanks to automation. Of those surveyed, 56 percent of CFOs said they expect automation to bring increased efficiency to finance and 43 percent also envision improved decision making.

While CFOs are optimistic about automation they also expect it to shift their priorities and primary skillsets. By 2020, CFOs expect “keeping pace with changing technology” as a top priority, followed by managing big data, compliance and maintaining finance reporting standards.

4.     Tech demand goes vertical

Tech is a growing need in every industry, but the survey found that certain vertical industries are experiencing an acute need for tech workers. Healthcare, financial and manufacturing professionals cited a growing demand for tech talent in their respective industries.

In healthcare, there’s a need for modernisation and innovation to better deliver patient care. Security and data professionals are in demand in the financial services industry as security becomes a top priority. Automation is impacting the manufacturing industry, where businesses are looking for innovative IT pros to help adapt.

Graffiti Recruitment predicts the latest developments in cloud, open source, mobile, big data and security are expected be the most in demand for 2018. And even if you aren’t a pro in one of these specialties, the survey found that as businesses are more pressed for talent, management is more willing to hire less technically qualified candidates who show potential and demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

5.     Satisfaction is up, stress is down

The technology industry currently ranks 6th for on-the-job happiness and it ranks first for the lowest levels of on-the-job stress. ( I don’t think this applies to IT Recruitment though). Some of that satisfaction might come from the compensation and perks that companies use to lure talent.

Only 19 percent of companies said they didn’t offer bonuses and only 17 percent said they based salary increases on length of service. For 72 percent of businesses, raises are merit-based, while 65 percent said that compensation is based of organisation or individual performance. These incentives help motivate workers and keep them satisfied on the job.

6.     Popular perks of the Job

To attract the best talent in a competitive market, companies have turned to “perks,” additional benefits outside the standard offerings you’d find at most companies. These include flexible work schedules (62%), regular social events (39%), remote work opportunities (34%), on-site or free gym membership (25%), a compressed schedule (17%) and free food (13%). (Chocolate is always a perk here at Graffiti )

To keep talent motivated, companies also offer incentives like awards for individual and team achievements (37%), profit sharing (20%), retention bonuses (18%), stock options (18%) and deferred compensation (16%).

 

Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift. To stay up to date with the latest Hiring and Tech updates make sure to sign up to our Monthly Industry Updates. 

How to choose the right Recruitment Agency

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Discover in this article how to choose the right Recruitment Agency most suitable to your Business needs.

Whether you are a candidate seeking a new role or a client looking to hire, identifying a good recruitment agency is the first vital step in making this often tedious process a pleasant and fruitful experience.

Applying for a job is hard work, time consuming and extremely competitive. Despite having an outstanding CV, hiring managers may never get to see it even if you have the right qualifications and experience. In order to maximize their chances, candidates are turning to a recruitment agency to help them in their search for their dream job.

So, how should you go about identifying a recruiter who is right for you? A quick Google search will bring up a myriad of results, and a scan of positions available may be one way of choosing who to entrust your CV to, however, this isn’t necessarily the best approach. When you research agencies, many of them will have things in common – but you need to find the one that will best serve you in your search for a new job.

The first thing to consider whether you are a client or candidate is the agency’s approach. Do they really care about you? A good agency will be keen to speak to you, find out about you and your motivations behind looking for a new job as well as quizzing you about your career goals. The same principle goes for clients who are looking to place a role with a recruitment consultant. Recruiters should be inquisitive about your organisation, the sort of culture you have there and the type of person that would fit in, as well as the usual job description.

An ability to sell is essential in a recruiter. They are your representatives in front of your potential new employer and as such, when they find you a great role, you want them to pitch you as the perfect candidate, with the right skills and personality for the role on offer.

Furthermore, you need to conduct your job search with an enthusiastic recruitment agency. Job-hunting is not an easy process, so working with someone who is positive and who motivates you when the going gets tough will make life better all round.

A recruitment agency that has genuine experience in the sector you are interested in is vital. They must understand the jobs they are recruiting for and the needs of the client entrusting them with finding the perfect candidate. There is nothing worse than being put up for a job by a recruiter who doesn’t understand the industry they are recruiting into.

A good agency should be able to help you tailor your CV so that it stands out and meets the employer’s needs, as well as offering you tips for interviews. They should be able to get you in front of great companies, respect the confidentiality of your CV and only send your details to companies with your permission.

So in short, you are looking for a recruitment agency that is enthusiastic and highly motivated to help you develop your career.

They should take the time to understand your experience and requirements, and offer you advice and support throughout the process – helping you secure your next brilliant role.

If you’re a Business Owner or Hiring Manager, ensure you select a recruitment agency that displays genuine interest in your Business and how it operates. A detailed understanding of your Business will enable a recruitment agency to fine tune their image of your desired candidate.

Finding the right talent is extremely important for growing and established Businesses. Recruitment Agencies are a highly effective way for Businesses to obtain high quality talent that is matched to Business needs, values and culture.

Graffiti Recruitment offer IT Recruitment Solutions for Businesses seeking talented candidates in the areas of operations, support and development.

Get in touch with us on 0330 22 33 047 or E-mail us at hello@graffitirecruitment.co.uk to discover how we can help you!

 

– Sarah Bloomfield

7 MUST-HAVE skills for a job in Digital Marketing

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There’s currently a talent gap in digital marketing and employers are on the look out to fill them…

The industry is currently experiencing a talent shortage in digital marketing. According to recent studies, 90% of marketers report suffering from a shortage of digital skills, and only 8% of surveyed companies feel strong in the area of digital marketing.

Here are seven of the most important skills that you need to make yourself a desirable job candidate in the digital age:

 

1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Of the companies looked at for the study, in which hundreds of job postings for digital talent were analysed, 14% cited SEO as a required skill.

To compete as a candidate for a digital marketing job, you must have technical SEO skills, including server-side settings, sitemaps and server response codes. Moreover, competitive candidates should have experience using various tools to identify customers’ search behaviours and the competitive landscape.

 

2. Pay-per-click: Seven percent of the companies that were looked at in the study listed search engine marketing (SEM) as a required skill for their organisations, and one of the most important and growing facets of SEM is pay-per-click (PPC). In order to demonstrate your abilities in this area, you need to show that you have the research and analytical skills required to create and execute a strong PPC plan that aligns with an overarching marketing strategy.

 

3. Mobile: To demonstrate value in this area, you need to understand how mobile marketing differs from desktop marketing and communicate why that matters to the rest of the business. Moreover, a digital marketer should have general familiarity with mobile development in order to best communicate with the design team and create a cohesive mobile marketing strategy that aligns with other online and offline efforts. Get familiar with its vocabulary, including things like SMS marketing and responsive design.

 

4. E-mail marketing: You need to be able to do more than send out regular communication. You must be able to optimise your e-mail marketing by crafting a compelling strategy, testing relentlessly and refining content based on what works best. It’s also essential that today’s marketers understand the best ways to develop distribution lists and use e-mail nurturing to create more business opportunities.

 

5. Social media: Ten percent of the businesses that were analysed in the study cited social media experience as a requirement for applicants, and that doesn’t just mean that they want someone with an active personal Twitter account. Digital marketers need to understand how to develop a strong social media presence to help bolster their brands and further their marketing goals.

 

6. Content management: SEO, e-mail marketing and social media skills are useless if you don’t back up your technical skills with excellent writing for multiple platforms. The ability to flow easily between writing e-mails, press releases, website copy, proposals, social posts and even code is key to success in today’s digital marketing field. Make sure that you demonstrate your ability to write across media, and to guide and polish the content of others on your team.

 

7. Analytics: In the study, a whopping 13% of businesses listed analytics experience as a required skill in their job descriptions. In order to be a truly great digital marketer, you’ll need to not only implement strong inbound and outbound digital strategies, but also analyse them regularly and use those insights to constantly improve. If you want to make it in a digital marketing job, it’s time to make ROI your middle name.

 

If you feel worthy of utilising all of these skills within a working environment, check out our latest Marketing role by following this link!

 

If you would like to learn more about Digital Marketing Strategies, there are many courses which you can enrol on to. Check out the Digital Marketing Course websites below!

Digital Marketing Institute

Home Learning College

Chartered Institue of Marketing

FutureLearn

Online Marketing/SEO Training

 

– Avi Levine

How a Recruitment Agency can save you time and money!

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The recruitment of new employees can be a costly and time-consuming process for businesses, especially SMEs. Find out how a Recruitment Agency can save your business time and money when it comes to recruiting. 

Employers fully recognise the value of top talent – those individuals that can drive their business forwards and boost the bottom line. Directors and hiring managers face a tricky task when it comes to ensuring a flow of continual talent into the business and making sure they hire individuals who are suited to the job and the culture of the organisation. In a buoyant jobs market, where employers are competing with one another for the most skilled and experienced staff, this becomes even more difficult. In many cases, employers need specialist support with their hiring strategies. Using a recruitment agency to identify and attract talent, and negotiate terms, can relieve a huge amount of pressure. This approach can help organisations find the people they need to move forwards, bring them to interview, and secure their services within budget.

What are the benefits of using recruitment agency to help hire professionals?

Here are a few practical benefits:

  1. Ability to identify talent

Recruitment agencies work with both employers who are searching for talent, and professionals who are on the hunt for career opportunities. As such, they are ideally placed to be ‘in the know’ and operate as an intermediary between the two parties. The knowledge recruitment consultants possess about how to avoid hiring a bad candidate can be extremely valuable; they know who is looking for work, how capable they are, and what sort of a salary expectations people have.

Once an employer has created a vacancy and established the job criteria, recruitment agencies can set about finding suitable people for the position. The ‘ideal candidate’ is often the one who is not actively looking for a new job but would be open to one if the right opportunity presented itself. A recruitment consultant has strong networks and a clear idea of where to find these individuals.

Another benefit of using a recruitment agency is their extensive knowledge about individual segments of the job market and the talent that is available in particular localities. They also learn about employers’ requirements and goals. This means they can source talented individuals who are capable of doing the job.

  1. Advertise roles

Sometimes when employers advertise vacancies, they do not receive applications of the required calibre. They are looking for an experienced candidate with niche skills, but the CVs they receive simply don’t hit the mark. Often, this is down to poor marketing; or the cost to advertise individual jobs online. High-calibre people can sometime miss the job advert an aren’t aware of the opportunity available.

Recruitment agencies advertise vacancies both online and offline. They actively seek out and head hunt professionals who fit the job description. Recruitment consultants may establish direct contact with talented individuals they know, having networked with them in the past and invite them to apply for the role. Some professionals might not be actively looking for a career change, but your vacancy could just tempt them. ‘Everyone has a price right’, but that price may not always be money! As the millennial generation continues to demand modifications to the standard 9-5 as we know it. Work/life balance and company culture sometimes become even more important than salaries.

  1. Negotiate salaries

As an employer, the last thing you want is to get to the end of the recruitment process, having identified your preferred candidate and made a job offer, only to find that you are poles apart on salary and benefits. Before entering salary negotiations, recruiters can help you benchmark remuneration against other businesses in your industry and can provide valuable resources. Recruitment agencies are also actively placing skilled candidates and negotiating salaries involved in the hiring process. They can negotiate on behalf of both parties and agree a mutually acceptable remuneration package. If both parties are aware of the other’s hopes and expectations from the outset, it ensures there is a realistic prospect of sealing the deal.

  1. Interview candidates

The recruitment agency can conduct interviews on an employer’s behalf, which can save time and money. On average each individual hire could take up to 50 hours of your time. Within an average SME there are usually 3 people involved in the recruitment of a single person. Is this the best way to spend your time or can you use this time more effectively to drive your business forward? A recruitment consultant can give you that time back by providing a shortlist of suitable candidates and begin the process of narrowing down the applicants. The recruitment agency can also conduct background checks on candidates invited to interview, meaning the employer’s HR department doesn’t have to.

  1. Deliver interim professionals

Using a recruitment agency gives businesses the benefit of increasing or decreasing their employee levels as needed. They can identify professionals for full-time permanent roles, but also individuals suitable for interim jobs. It may be that emergency cover is needed for an absent employee who has gone off ill or left at short notice. Or an employer may be concerned about a lack of capacity for a new project or initiative that is getting underway. Recruiters have candidates on who are willing to hit the ground running, meaning there is no time wasted getting these professionals up to speed.

  1. Offer industry insight

Another benefit of a recruitment agency is they spend all day, every day, working to provide staffing solutions for organisations across a range of industry sectors. As such, they have significant expertise and jobs market insight, internationally, nationally, and locally, which employers can tap into as they plan their recruitment strategy. Recruitment consultants understand employer’s needs, candidate expectations, and the impacts of supply and demand. This means they are ideally situated to help employers make educated decisions, which have a positive impact on the bottom line.

In summary

Employers don’t need to go it alone when it comes to hiring. Finding the right recruitment agency that has access to people in your industry vertical can be very beneficial, time saving and cost effective.

We can help you find highly talented candidates within the Tech Sector for jobs such as Software Development, Web Development, IT Engineering, IT Support, Graphic Design, Marketing, Business Development and much more! Please get in touch to find out how we can help you.

Search for Business Executive of the Year 2016

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The search is under way to find the Business Executive of the Year for 2016.

The Business Executive of the Year will be chosen from the winners of three other categories – Small, Medium and Large Business Executives of the Year.

The awards, held by the Leicester Mercury in association with the University of Leicester, aim to celebrate the business people who have seen great success with their firms throughout the year.

Other categories include Non-Executive of the Year, Young Business Executive of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last year, Priyesh Patel, of Leicester-based Cofresh, won the Medium Business Executive award and was named the overall Business Executive of the Year.

Mr Patel, managing director of the UK’s top Asian snack company, was crowed the winner after a successful year.

This included milestones such as increasing turnover by nearly £3 million in the 12 months to December 2014 compared to the previous year, moving into new premises in Menzies Road, Leicester, and announcing plans to crack the Indian market.
At the time, Priyesh – known as Pete – said: “Accepting both awards, one has to appreciate that these awards are only achievable with the right people around you.

“That includes support from my wife and uncles and key management and everybody on the packing lines.

“Everybody puts in 100 per cent and the passion they have for the business is reflected in everything we do.

“The true inspirations are my father Dinesh who started the business and my mother Savita.

“The business has picked up many awards and my father has also picked up awards, but this is the first time I have picked up an executive award.”

The winners for this year’s event will be announced at a glamorous black tie event on Thursday, November 3 at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.

The other winners at last year’s event included Bob Woods, chairman of Enderby-based wealth management company Mattioli Woods (Lifetime Achievement), Andy Cliffe, of East Midlands Airport (Large Business Executive), Geoff Rowe, of Big Difference Company (Small Business Executive) and Will Prentice, of Elite Scooters (Young Business Executive).

The nominees for the Business Executive of the Year Awards are compiled by the Leicester Mercury business team and the judges.

The judging panel consists of Stephen Gould, from Everards Brewery, Eileen Richards, who runs Eileen Richards Recruitment, Alastair Cunningham, East Midlands agent for the Bank of England, Chris Darlington, partner at Mazars, Chris Shaw and Anjuu Trevedi, of the University of Leicester, KPMG East Midlands senior partner Ian Borley, Mike Kapur of Signum Corporate Communications, Mike Waterfield, director of Torr Waterfield, Dr Nik Kotecha, chief executive of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, Tim Horrocks, head of the Quilter Cheviot Leicester office, Tim Maxted, chairman and chief executive of Berkeley Insurance, Emma Knight, of East Midlands Trains, Mercury publisher David Simms and business editor Tom Pegden.

The judges will also be joined by representatives from the following sponsors to help them in making their decisions: AON and Handlesbanken.

The University of Leicester is the headline sponsor for the awards.

A University of Leicester spokeswoman said: “This is the university’s fifth year of sponsoring the awards, which we choose to do primarily because we want to support businesses and the local area by recognising, applauding and celebrating the excellent work undertaken by leading business executives.

“It is important that we recognise and celebrate the dedication, passion and innovation that local business leaders bring to their roles, as these are essential ingredients to the success and growth of their own businesses, the Leicestershire economy and the many people they employ.

“Secondly, the university wishes to engage and build mutually beneficial long-term working relationships with innovative executives and their businesses from Leicester and Leicestershire.

“By sponsoring the Business Executive of the Year Awards, the university is able to identify successful executives and their great businesses.

“We have established a number of industry facing initiatives to enable us to work with local businesses such as the ASDEC

(Advanced Structural Dynamics Evaluation Centre), the UK’s first commercial 3D (non-contact) measurement and modal analysis centre offering specialist structural dynamics expertise based at HORIBA MIRA near Hinckley, and the Leicester Innovation Hub, a dedicated space where companies can meet and work with our research scientists.”

– IFrodsham

Could you see yourself with the ‘Business Executive of the Year’ title? If the answer is yes then check out our latest Business Development Executive role!

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