Sure, from time to time there are other things that may play a role in how efficient we choose to be on a daily bases such as our health or family obligations, but could there be just one key factor that effects our work efficiency and commitment in the office on a day to day bases??

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), feeling valued is a key indicator of job performance.  Employees who feel valued are more likely to be engaged in their work and feel satisfied and motivated.

With many companies now having many staff incentives from free gym membership, birthdays off and gift vouchers to make staff feel “appreciated”. While others have pizza days, ice cream vans in the staff car park and fridges in the office with wine and snacks to celebrate the end of an amazing work day. I ask myself is this necessary and does it achieve anything in the long run?

 According to a recent survey three-quarters of the people asked list work as a significant source of stress and over half of those surveyed indicating that their work productivity suffered due to stress.  Nearly half of those who say they do not feel valued report they intend to look for a new job in the next year.

Work stress and unhealthy work environments intensify workers’ sense of being undervalued and can contribute to absenteeism and lack of productivity when employees are at work. With many members of staff spending more time together than the average married couple is it not expected that there is to be conflict in the office could this be more the reason people feel under valued at work and is throwing gifts and perks helpful or making staff members feel cheap??  Is a better relationship with colleagues and a better work environment all the incentive they need??

In my opinion it is a balance of both.

Everyone loves a gift, a free lunch or a special bonus. However, everyone wants a happy and healthy work environment and to feel they are part of team and a “work family”. So, for me I believe the balance is to create a happy office where the “team” is incentivised and gifted together.

Yes, the staff of any company need to feel valued by the CEOs and Directors of a company and sure gift certificates, gym memberships, pizza days and perk box incentives are a great way for the company big wigs to show their “appreciation”. However, I believe it moves further down the line. Each team member needs to feel appreciated and valued by each other.

Why is it that sometimes we will put every ounce of what we have in to something at work even to the point we may miss out on key family events. However other times we will do the bare minimum at the office and slope off early?? In Hein site that’s an easy one it isn’t down to the big incentives of the company it is down to the incentive of helping out a “team member” helping out a member of the “company family”.

There is a direct link between productivity and feeling appreciated, but that appreciation is more impactful from your team than any CEO.

So maybe take a minute today to turn to the person to the left of you and say thank you for all you do. Make everyone a coffee send out an email of appreciation or maybe give someone across the office a knowing smile and nod cos after all we are all in this together. Making the office a happy appreciated work environment doesn’t come from incentives it comes from being a team that is as close as any family, that will want to achieve TOGETHER.

The post Is there a direct link between staff feeling appreciated and productivity? appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

• Listening Skills

For a Recruitment Consultant it is important to be a great listener. Its important to not only listen to the clients but the candidates to. That’s the best way to make a successful match in the work place

• Confidence 

You need to be confident not just about yourself but also about the services you offer to your clients, companies as well as jobseekers.

• Marketing Skills

Knowing how to market and promote you and your services effectively to clients and candidates is of utmost importance. If you have lots of candidates on your database but are not able to convince a company to hire any of them, you will not close any deals. Your marketing and selling skills are therefore crucial. No clients, no business.

• Relationship building skills

As a Recruiter you are working with People all day every day. It is important to be able to build a relationship with your clients and your candidates. “Emotional banking” is key. Building a personal relationship with the client so they are more than just a number,

• Communication Skills

Working as a recruiter to be a great communicator, no matter whether face to face, on the phone or via email is very important.  Being tactful considerate and gracious at all times.

• Multitasking

Since you deal with companies and candidates on a daily basis you will need to juggle multiple projects and tasks simultaneously. Keeping in mind the details of various jobs, companies and candidates is important in order to work efficiently as well as effectively.

• Time Management Skills

Having great time management skills is essential because certain positions need to be filled urgently and getting your priorities right is paramount.

• IT and Social Media Skills

These days everything is computer based. Spread sheets, time sheets and GEL to name a few. Also, being familiar with various social media recruitment strategies and IT technologies will give any recruiter an edge and proves that you are a professional who keeps up with current trends and technologies.

• Reliability

If you want to be perceived as a trustworthy professional you need to be reliable when it comes to punctuality, offering the services you promised within a certain timeframe etc. If you can’t keep up with small things nobody will trust you and offer you bigger challenges in the future.

• Team working Skills

Sometimes you need to lead a team of other recruitment consultants or you need to work in a team in order to find the best candidate for a high calibre company. Knowing how to manage people in order to achieve a set goal is important; good communication between all team members will guarantee that misunderstandings  will be avoided.

The post Would you like to work as a Recruiter? Then here are the top 10 qualities needed to make a success in Recruitment. appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Recruitment solutions wales are always looking for new talent to join the business. However, we are just as keen to spot potential in our existing staff members and build on that.  Its for that reason we would like to announce the internal promotion of Alex Milton. Alex has been appointed to the position Of Professional Services Manager. After starting in the division 3 years ago as a consultant, Alex has been the stalwart of the Professional services division and has worked hard building the division and thoroughly deserves the appointment, we are in no doubt that under his guidance the Professional Services division will go from strength to strength. Everyone at Recruitment Solutions Wales would like to congratulate Alex on his new role and look forward to his continued growth and success.

The post RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS WALES KNOWS WHEN ITS GOT TALENT appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Companies must also report any data breaches – including cyber-attacks and accidental leaks – to authorities within 72 hours. Individuals can demand a copy of all data held about them, which must be supplied within 30 days.
Individuals also have the right to demand that their data is deleted if it’s no longer necessary to the purpose for which it was collected. This is known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. Under this rule, they can also demand that their data is erased if they’ve withdrawn their consent for their data to be collected, or object to the way it is being processed. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg with so many new rules and so much new information for companies to prosses it is no wonder some are struggling. That is why Recruitment Solutions Wales are making every effort to help their staff and clients train and comply to the new regulations.

The post WHAT IS GDPR appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Here at Recruitment Solutions Wales we understand the importance of a good work/life balance. A happy workforce that isn’t stretched too thinly is proved to be more productive. Paymentsense recently conducted a survey of 2,000 UK workers to find out just how happy employees are with their work/life balance.

Almost two thirds of those questioned are happy with their work/life balance, with men (73%) slightly happier than women (67%). However, 69% of all workers questioned claim their personal lives have been affected by work.

Personal life

The effects of work on your personal life can be for a wide range of reasons; 33% do not believe their workload would be covered whilst on annual leave and more than 50% go to work when ill.

Guy Moreve, Paymentsense’s Head of Marketing, explained:

“It’s important that everyone within the workplace gets the best possible work-life balance. It’s crucial to the efficiency of a business. If the employees are demotivated, then this will eventually show in the quality of their work.”

Moreve added:

“We need to make sure this ethos is fed down from the top management to all levels of the business. As a business, you should be offering flexible working schemes. This gives employees the opportunity to take care of everyday life tasks and manage their workload effectively. If you own your own business, it can be hard to switch off, however, you still need some respite, so it’s crucial to put practices in place in order to achieve an effective balance.”

Despite the survey indicating that business owners struggle to switch off, it seems there is still a strong desire for many to start their own business. Of the 2,000 Brits surveyed by Paymentsense, 20% plan to start their own business in 2018.

The post The Importance of Work/Life Balance appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

It is estimated that 1.7m UK businesses now adopt a pet-friendly policy, but in a survey conducted by AnimalFriends.co.uk, it seems our opinions on pets at work are very much divided. More than half of the 2,000 staff surveyed believe that having pets in the workplace reduces productivity. But, productivity wasn’t the only complaint; 20% believe pets at work increase stress levels and more than a quarter felt unable to work at all when pets are present.

In contrast, many believe pets help to boost morale, giving employees the opportunity to talk to colleagues about non-work matters.

It seems the distraction caused is not limited to sheer animal-related excitement. Many people surveyed were concerns about office hygiene when our furry friends are present and others even admitted to being allergic to the office pets! 16% of offices that allow dogs have at least one employee with a known animal allergy.

As an obvious advocate of pets at work, Animal Friends’ managing director, Westley Pearson, explained, “Animal Friends is a team of animal lovers and 9 out of 10 staff members are pet owners themselves. As a company we have made provisions to help employees give their furry friends the top level of care, including bringing pets to work with them when necessary.”

Pearson continued, “There are a number of benefits to being able to bring pets to work with you, but it’s important that everyone in the office is happy with the decision and to be aware of others’ allergies or reasons why it might be uncomfortable for those who aren’t as fond of dogs. In addition, if you take your pet to work, they may think they can nuzzle up with you at any time – even when you’re really busy, so you should be aware of that!”

How important is this subject to you? If you’re passionate one way or the other on the subject of pets at work, it may be worth checking a business’ stance on the subject before applying.

The post Pet-Friendly Offices: Have Businesses Gone Barking Mad? appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

If you are looking to start a new job in 2018, building a CV that best represents you as a potential candidate could be key to standing out from the crowd. Here at Recruitment Solutions Wales we offer tips on how best to present your CV.

Contact Details (name, address/location, contact number, email address)

It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many job-seekers fail to disclose key contact information on their CV. If you don’t disclose your contact details then inevitably everything else is irrelevant. From phone numbers and email addresses to social media links, the more contact channels you feature, the more eager you look to be recruited.

Key Skills

Ensure you add a short, sharp list of skills you could bring to the position. But; make them relevant! Crucially, this list could be the difference between you and another candidate.

Employment History

List your employment history in chronological order (most recent position first). Include a short description of your role and the duties required of you. It may also be a good idea to include achievements within each role – displaying what you can bring to a new position.

Education

Like your employment history, this should be listed in chronological order. Include the names of places you have studied, dates attended and qualifications earned.

Length

Whilst not critical, a CV will ideally be 2/3 pages long. Too many pages suggests your key information has been diluted somewhat whilst a single page is unlikely to include enough information to help you stand out. With digital CVs now being the norm, you will want to present a PDF or even a short video that is short, snappy and concise.

Font

There is no industry standard font to use but always ensure your CV is both clear and professional. If you are applying for a high-end role, you may wish to rope in the help of a designer, ensuring your CV is aesthetically pleasing.

What we have found is that between 10 and 12 is a fair size with Arial, Calibri and Times New Roman being the most common fonts. This is due to the fact that they appear professional (unlike Comic Sans!)

Covering Letter

Finally, a covering letter can be a useful way of selling yourself to prospective employers. Any information that may aide your ability to best fulfil the job requirements can be included on this.

For more help on creating the perfect CV or for details of current vacancies in your area, be sure to contact the Recruitment Solutions Wales team.

The post Building the perfect CV: A how-to guide appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Having worked with thousands of businesses across Wales and the UK, we at RSW thought we would share our top tips on how to become an employer of choice in 2018; we hope they help.

Build a positive candidate experience

Recruiting is about a lot more than finding someone with the right skills and employing them, with candidate experience now having a huge bearing on recruitment success. Creating a positive candidate process can do wonders for your employer branding and there are many ways to implement one. From engaging effectively with candidates to offering detailed feedback to all; ensure your selection process mirrors your business style.

Career growth

With Millennials now lording the candidate world, career growth is a hot topic, with candidates being a lot pickier when it comes to choosing an employer. In order to overcome this, focus on progression throughout the recruiting and onboarding stages, making sure your business is the right fit for the individual and vice versa.

Pay and benefits

Though career progression is an attractive quality for graduates and young professionals, so is pay and work/life balance, with employers now needing to offer contracts that speak to a multitude of candidate needs. By offering that little bit extra than your competitor, you can push your business to the top of the pile.

Social Media

Whist social media acts as the shop window for any business, it is also a point of reference for candidates thinking about applying for a job with you. Due to this, it may be an idea to sew employer branding into your digital marketing strategy, ensuring posts, images and messages are geared not only at potential customers, but potential team members also.

If you are looking to recruit in 2018, contact us at RSW today and allow one of our friendly team members to assist you with your query.

The post How to become an employer of choice: Top tips for 2018  appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Technology

One of the most exciting changes RSW saw in 2017 was our website; rolling out a brand-new design. Collaborating with a local agency to do so, our aim was to a create recruitment hub for the businesses and professionals of Wales to make use of. Through our informative blog section to the new CV upload feature, we have certainly achieved that, having grown our digital presence substantially as the year has unfolded. With efforts recognised in a variety of local and national titles, including Business News Wales, digital innovation will continue to play a key role in RSW in 2018.

New appointments

As well as supporting businesses in building high-performing teams, we at RSW have also been making addition to our workforce, with many new faces now being part of our diverse family of recruitment professionals.

Caroline Kingston – Having been in the business since 2009, Caroline plays an integral role in the business. This year, her efforts were recognised, with we at RSW making Caroline our Operations Director.

Caroline believes in a simple honest approach where she takes the time to understand clients requirements and ensures that RSW provide a very honest and transparent service by doing the common things uncommonly well.

Ryland Kevlyn – Also joining the company in 2009, Ryland worked as the firm’s Business Development Manager, coming on board following close to a decade of industry involvement. Ryland maintains a very pragmatic and personable approach when it comes to sales, which has lead to many long term working and personal relationships with clients.

Recognising his sheer determination, Ryland now enjoys the title of Sales Director, joining the board just last year.

Ryland’s role now involves working closely with all colleagues between the RSW branch networks. For Ryland and his team the focus is on identifying, generating and retaining new business opportunities.

Adrian McCarthy  – In July 2016, RSW recruited Adrian to head up the company’s payroll and finance function. As FD, Adrian has shone a different light on the company’s direction adding his expertise in financial matters.

Adrian acts as chief advisor to the company’s shareholders on all financial matters, and works collaboratively with the other directors driving the company’s strategy for organic growth.

He manages a team of five, who are super-efficient operating a weekly branch payrolls for +600 temporary workers as well as acting as a shared service for the company. He also chairs the company’s senior management team discussions.

Mark West  – Mark West joined RSW in 2016 as the Operations Manager, working across the group to ensure an unmatched level of service. Mark also works alongside the teams, ensuring they get the development and support needed to grow their own careers to the desired level.

HR

Having witnessed a growing demand for businesses looking to recruit HR professionals, it made sense for us to branch out into this exciting new division.

Angharad Isaac, who has been brought in as our HR specialist, brings a wealth of experience to the role and believes “HR should be at the core of any organisation”.

Talking on the launch of the division, she says:

“With 10 years Recruitment experience, specialising in Professional Services, mainly covering Human Resources and Legal, I understand the importance of building solid relationships with both my candidates and clients.”

“As a Recruiter your credibility is everything, I take the time to meet with my candidates as I feel each candidate is a representation of myself.  I also think the candidate journey is just as important as the service I provide my clients. Candidates become your clients very quickly and people never forget a good quality service.”

If you are a looking to recruit or be recruited in 2018, be sure to get in touch us at RSW today.

The post Recruitment Solutions Wales: A year in review  appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.

Experience inevitably plays a part in this, with older workers having had the time to build soft skills as well as define the areas in which they enjoy working in.

Having had jobs in which they can learn new skills, new rules, new ways of working and how to interact, people in their 30s tend to offer a ‘well-rounded’ candidate option. If you are looking to revive your career in your 30s, then be sure to make use of our top tips!

Diversify your skillset

Twenty years ago, ‘niche’ was a buzzword that consumed the world of recruitment, with everyone having to be geniuses at something. However, diversity is the key in the modern workplace, with individuals in all sectors needing to have a strong grasp on a variety of skills. From communication and time-keeping to computer literacy, ensure you brush up on your skills before going down a new professional route.

Stand out

Nowadays, more and more people are attending university, meaning it is no longer such a unique quality that can push a candidate straight to the top of the pile. In recent years, we have seen employers highly regarding those with a diverse career path, showing an ability to change and take risks. Therefore, standing out in this way is vital!

Think about your motivation

The modern employer is very interested in personal drivers, eager to uncover what motivates candidates. Usually with a career change in your 30s, there is a need for recognition, career progression and of course; money. It is important that you are open about this, ensuring you are a fit for the employer and vice versa.

If you are in your 30s and looking to take your career in a new direction, get in touch with the RSW team today. With a team of highly-experienced agents, be will be happy to help.

The post Starting a career in your 30s: Top tips for success appeared first on Recruitment Solutions Workforce.