We’re fast approaching the mid-point of the year, a good time to reflect on the first half of 2022, recognise the challenges, identify any weak spots and plan for the remainder of the year.   I’d like to be informing you of change, of growth in the market, that the challenges we as recruiters and you as business leaders have faced in the first part of the year have dissipated.   But I can’t. We’re seeing very slow movement in the growth of permanent staff appointments due to the lack of available candidates and in March, vacancies hit a six-month high.   The REC Report on Jobs provides a useful summary:   Upturn in hiring activity slows again amid candidate shortages

First of all what is an Algorithm? An algorithm is the list of instructions and rules that a computer needs to do to complete a task. What has this got to do with CVs?   Jane McNeill Director of Hays Australia, explains all... "Next time you apply for a job, will people or algorithms screen your application? Chances are, it’ll be the latter, with technological advancements reducing the time to hire. After all, one job ad can elicit hundreds of responses, many of which may be inappropriate, yet all must be screened in order to identify the suitable candidates. With the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated machine learning algorithms, this time consuming process can instead take seconds, allowing recruiters and hiring managers to provide a more personal service and engage with skilled and experienced professionals. So how can you ensure your application makes it past the algorithms and reaches their shortlist?

Last month we reported on the rising cost of living and how it was starting to affect the decision making of job seekers and those already in role. Totaljobs have shared a report that is very timely and useful for employers of all sizes right now. Here are the main headlines: "The squeeze on workers’ living standards is already severe. A substantial majority of employees say they have not had a pay rise, or their pay has risen by less than inflation. For many, their salary does not cover basic living costs. This presents a somewhat more pessimistic picture than that shown in official statistics, which show real wages roughly flat over the last year." "This research illustrates that everyone is feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living, to the extent that some are looking to move jobs for one that provides them with more financial security. It’s clear that the cost of living is having an impact on businesses and their staff." "We’d encourage employers to acknowledge the situation we’re in and have open conversations with their staff about financial wellbeing and remuneration. Now is the time to consider more holistic job offers that cater to the individual needs of candidates, especially for those hit hardest by the rise in everyday living costs."

We have all experienced changing our minds after making a decision. But when it comes to changing your mind after having resigned your job, well that can be a bit tricky.  Here's some valuable advice from Totaljobs. Sometimes, when a valued employee hands in their resignation, the company will try and negotiate with you to get you to stay. This could involve a promotion offer, the promise of more money or better benefits. If you then decide to stay on, you are in a great position! Congratulations! However, if you have just changed your mind (the job offer you have has been cancelled, you don’t want to move on after all, you handed in your resignation in the heat of the moment) then asking to have it reversed can be embarrassing. The important thing, in this case, is to face up to the situation and ask you speak to your manager as soon as possible.

Thank you for joining us this month. It’s a very troubling and disturbing time with uncertainty for many individuals with connections and family in Ukraine, our thoughts are most definitely with them.   What's happening in the news is pretty heavy right now, and perhaps you feel powerless, but there are ways we can all help. We've linked the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal and Unicef below, there are many local collection centres being set up, with Facebook doing an excellent job of keeping people informed of what, where and when donations are welcome.   https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/donate-now-to-protect-children-in-ukraine   We’re keeping a watching eye on the situation as it continues to unfold and should we get any advice from the Home Office reference a change in refugee status and employment, we will circulate that to you as soon as possible, in the event that you may be able to help.

Being long-term unemployed is hard enough but there is the double whammy of the stigma attached to the status too. Some employers reject candidates outright who, through no fault of their own, haven’t worked for over a year. However there is a way back to work if you take the right approach according to our panel of experts.

With 2021 behind us, we are now well into 2022 and taking a refreshed look at the current recruitment market. 2022 is set to be another challenging and turbulent year for recruiters, for in-house and external recruiters. At the time of writing this article (February 3rd) there are over 4,164 live vacancies in Dorset on the Reed job board alone.  3,967 of those are fulltime with the rest being part time.  In total Reed have 296,456 vacancies live on their job boards across the UK!  At Aspire, we use 3 different job boards so total that up and suffice to say, it’s a lot!   eBoss reports: “Although the UK jobs market has been dealing with skills gaps for way over a decade, this ‘New Normal’ is different. Staffing droughts are impacting every level of recruitment. It is not so much a skills shortage as a people shortage. The question is whether this has impacted the outcome of the survey.” Avature reports that a survey of 6,000 employees in the UK showed that 24% or people are planning to change their current work position I the next three to six months. Many wanting a change due to burnout and a lack of sense of belonging at work. This is driving Avature’s belief that company culture will take centre stage in 2022, it’s a belief that we also share at Aspire Jobs. With this shift in worker perspective, we are consistently seeing Employee benefits and rewards rising the ranks of “must haves” for candidates.

We’re already a month into 2022 (how did that happen!) and you might be thinking of changing your job, according to research around 25% of employees are looking to switch roles or companies early this year.   You’ll have read about the ongoing recruitment crisis at the moment in the UK, lots of jobs and not enough people, meaning that this is what we call a ‘candidate driven market’. This isn’t likely to change in 2022 and whilst that may ‘put you in the driving seat’ it’s essential that when job hunting and interviewing you remember the fundamentals of seeking a new role…

It's a job rich market our there, here are 4 things candidates should know about...

A recent report on reed.co.uk talks about the UK labour market being on the cusp of, if not in the midst of - The Great Resignation.   It’s an attention-grabbing headline that’s for sure! But what does it actually mean in reality?

What's going to happen in recruitment in 2022? Well if I had a crystal ball that would be an easy question to answer, but here are my thoughts as we start the New Year.

What a year to try and review in a short newsletter.  I can’t believe we are in December – where has that year (well let’s be honest the last 18 months) gone?