The post Father’s Day – Competition Time! appeared first on Human.

The office space market is soaring in the North of England: Across the five key ‘Northern Powerhouse’ cities, searches on Office Genie were up 56% in the first quarter of 2016 (vs Q4 2015).

Searches in the capital, still seen firmly as the UK’s most thriving business hotspot, only increased by 21% in the same period.

Of the five major cities, Liverpool experienced the biggest boost, with searches up a whopping 90% in the first three months of this year. Sheffield came next with demand up 78%, and was followed by Leeds (77%), Newcastle Upon Tyne (54%) and Manchester (29%).

Many of these cities boast a proud industrial past, but these figures show the future for the North could well lie in its growing population of Office Genie users: Small, forward-thinking businesses working in tech, digital and other innovative sectors.

All this seems promising for the future of innovation in the North of England. George Osborne promised to “rebalance our national economy” and ensure the “future of the North is as bright, if not brighter, than other parts of the UK.”

The Chancellor’s recent budget promised much, from investment in infrastructure to science and innovation audits, but most of this has yet to be delivered. In spite of this the office space market in the North of England is booming; a strong sign of vibrant local economies: It appears the North of England is doing well anyway!

We’ve been discussing our findings, and the Northern Powerhouse in general, with businesses in these cities, to get a view of how business is actually developing, and how people feel about the notion:

The view from Sheffield
After Liverpool, Sheffield saw the next largest growth in demand [for offoce space] (78%). We spoke to Amy Stephenson, founder of Sheffield-based Human Recruitment, who commented:

Why is Sheffield, and the North in general, great for business?
There are so many reasons why Sheffield is such a great city for business it’s difficult to know where to start! Firstly, there’s the sheer diversity of different companies and talented people working in the city, then there’s the people. Sheffield has a reputation for being the world’s largest village, where everyone knows, helps and supports each other.

Secondly, we have a brilliant retention rate for those graduating from our two great universities, this provides not only a great talent pipeline for businesses but also ensures the city’s social scene remains diverse.

Finally, there’s the city’s location itself. With the Peak District nearby, a bustling vibrant city centre, and plenty of things going on, it makes a great place for businesses. Of course, let’s not forget the talented and passionate people who are proud to call Sheffield home!

What do you think about the idea of the Northern Powerhouse?
In principle, it’s a great idea. There is a huge amount of talented individuals who are not only working in Sheffield, but in cities and towns across the North. A joined up strategy, which allows business opportunities to be shared across all areas, is something that has been needed for a long time.

At the same time, it seems a little short-sighted from the Government to relocate the department responsible for delivering the project from Sheffield to London!

I am concerned that a two-tier economy may emerge and cities such as Manchester and Leeds will come to represent the North as a whole, just as London is perceived to represent the whole of the South, with other towns becoming little more than commuter stops.

How could it impact your business and the city?
As a recruitment specialist, it’s highly likely that as businesses continue to invest in the North, they will need to attract and retain experienced and skilled members of staff. There’s likely to be some clear business benefits not only to my company but also to the broader local economy.

If it helps to reduce the ‘brain drain’ and encourage talent to stay in the North, great. If, however, it means that the unique identities and business cultures found in smaller towns and cities (Sheffield and Rotherham for example) are lost, not so great.

Put simply, we need greater investment in infrastructure; the transport connections across the Pennines need to be improved. I find it a little bizarre that it can often take less time to travel to cities like Birmingham than Manchester because of the poor road infrastructure. The M67 was first conceived back in the 1960s and even today it still only covers five miles!

HS3 will alleviate pressure on the M62, but there needs to be better East-West connections which provide broader benefits to the whole of the North.

We’ve seen a significant rise in demand for office space in Sheffield, do you have any thoughts as to why this could be?
Over the past couple of decades Sheffield has reinvented itself and the local economy has evolved from one being almost solely dependent on the heavy industries such as mining and steel to a much more diverse business hub. It’s home to a range of established global brands, a centre of engineering excellence, as well as highly innovative, fast-growing technology and creative companies.

It’s a great city in which to live and work in and it comes as no surprise that office space is in high demand.

Read the full article

The post Why is Sheffield, and the North in general, great for business? appeared first on Human.

This week we welcomed Hannah to Human HQ. Hannah has joined us to help make sure there is always someone available to help you lovely people when you call the office and to make sure our records and files are kept up to date.

I’m sure you’ll get to know Hannah as the weeks go by but in the meantime, here’s an insight into our newest member of Team Human.

Hannah’s Q & A

What are your hobbies / interests

I like socialising with friends and like to have an active social life. I enjoy brass bands and brass band music and enjoy watching my boyfriend Alex play. I also enjoy walking and being outdoors.

What makes you Human?

Empathy: I would say being able to relate to others and put myself in their position.

What do you like about working at Human?

I am really enjoying working for Human because I think the service is excellent. Each person is treated as an individual rather than just a number, it makes it more personal.

Thanks Hannah! Welcome to the team!

The post Three is the magic number appeared first on Human.

The post Hike for the Hospice appeared first on Human.

The post Women in Business, Sheffield Star – August 26th 2015 appeared first on Human.

At Human we make a commitment to clients and candidates, we help individuals to stand out in the marketplace. Our aim is to always add value to your business to support growth and longevity. There are four ways we do this:

1. We want to save you money

Getting the right match first time will minimise your recruitment costs. Getting the right match first time, means that candidate will stay on and help develop your business meaning you will recruit to replace less, train less new starters, and have people on board who want to help develop the business. This in turn means increased retention of staff, staff who are motivated, engaged and working hard to achieve your organisational goals. We are proud to shout about our 99.9% candidate retention record. Only 1 client has ever had to utilise our rebate structure meaning your investment is not only protected but with Human but is almost guaranteed to add value to your business in the long term.

Why do we want to minimise your recruit costs?

Sounds like madness, doesn’t it? We want you to spend as little as possible on recruitment. This is not to say that we offer a bargain basement fee structure. We do not. What we do offer is a high quality service and a commitment to finding the right person for the right reason. If our candidates add value to your business and support your growth. Through that growth and a strong working partnership, we also grow.

2. We want to save you time

Our transparent process will keep you updated every step of the way. However, once we have a true picture of your organisation and its requirements all you need do is book out some time to interview and the rest can be left to us.

How do I know the candidate is suitable without reviewing their CV?

At Human we don’t work with CVs, we work with people. We don’t judge candidate suitability based solely on their CV, in much the same way you wouldn’t attract candidates to your business with just a balance sheet. Our clear and thorough process means that through conversations we have, job shadows and a long term partnership we will build a very clear picture of your business goals, culture and values which will enable us not only to find candidates who have the skills you are looking for but also have the vision and values to help your organisation grow. This is not to say we won’t provide you with a CV but we do ask that you don’t judge candidates based purely on their CV.

3. Raise and protect your brand profile in the marketplace

In a period of relatively high unemployment, the marketplace is saturated not necessarily with 1000’s of suitable candidates for your role but certainly 1000’s who will readily apply. If you do not have the time or resources to provide them with a positive recruitment experience, regardless of whether they join the business or not this could have a negative impact on your employer brand in the marketplace.

How do we raise and protect your employer brand?

Our process is clear and transparent for all concerned, meaning that your brand is protected in the marketplace. Candidates are kept updated and will be given constructive feedback meaning before you even offer them the role they are aligned with your vision and values and have a positive view of your organisation. This facilitates a successful on boarding process and in turn saves you both time and money.

4. Help your organisation thrive and survive in the marketplace

If you have the right people on board, adding value to the business from day one, not only will you save money on replacements but those candidates will be up and running and striving for your organisational goals much quicker than any candidate who joined your business to pay the bills. This is our ultimate goal, for you and for us. Without your success, we can’t achieve long term success.

If you would like to hear more about how we can help and why we do what we do, please feel free to contact us on 01143 990085 or 01709 717212

The post Why choose Human – a client guide appeared first on Human.

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/worklife/present-interview-18990/

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/worklife/character-references-asked-19009/

The post We’re famous! appeared first on Human.

A character reference is a personal reference that discusses your personality traits. It won’t provide a work evaluation, but can discuss your related experience. You may list family members (not adoring parents or doting Grannies), friends or other associates as personal references. In the case of self-employed applicants you could list clients, where appropriate. If you don’t have employment references, you should provide 3-6 character references dependant on the role you are applying for. If you are asked for character references alongside employment references the names of 1-2 character referees should reinforce your employment references. But who do you ask? What are the rules?

Who should you ask?

Good character referees are people who have been relatively close to you. If you are just starting out in the world of work, this could be a teacher or mentor. If you have been self-employed this could be a past client. Previously unemployed? Why not ask your Job centre contact or a neighbour or family friend you have a good relationship with. Equally, if you have taken part in volunteer schemes this is a great place to go to ask for character references. It’s a good idea (not to mention courteous) to ask your references permission prior to passing across their details. It also allows you the opportunity to give them a heads up on your career aspirations and the reasons you’re applying for such a role so they can tailor their responses.

Who should you avoid asking?

A character referee can’t be a direct family member. Of course your Mum thinks you’re brilliant and Dad can vouch for your negotiation skills but a character reference should be as objective and impartial as possible. At the same time, you shouldn’t ask people you are barely acquainted with for a character reference. If the reference comes back to your potential future employer and sounds ambiguous or lacks depth then the employer may feel uneasy about the validity of the reference.

What information should be included?

A character reference needs to focus more on your attitude and personal characteristics and skills rather than work experience. It is common for a potential employer to send a standard reference request form which should make your referee’s task fairly straightforward. If appropriate, the reference should then elaborate about your relevant skills and qualities. These could include; honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, work ethic, communication skills, initiative, dependability and general personality. If your referee wants to go right to the top of your Christmas list they could also suggest why these qualities might be valuable to your potential employers business.

What should a character reference look like?

Most employers will provide a standard template but if you really want to knock an employer’s socks off you could prepare your character references in advance. In this instance, employers might wish to talk to your referees to verify their statements. As such you’ll need to provide contact details. However, if the potential employer doesn’t provide a template you should ask your referee to include the following details:

Confirm what capacity they know you in. Your character referee should be a solid acquaintance; family friend, sports coach, volunteer coordinator, teacher. Pete down the pub or the smiley lady on reception at the gym will not cut the mustard.

How long they have known you for. This should be at least 3 years. That chap you met last week who said you were witty and charming, though lovely I’m sure, doesn’t fit the bill here!

An overview of your character – it goes without saying but the employer will be looking for information about you and your character. Are you reliable, dependable, and hard-working?

A recommendation relevant to the role you have applied for. ‘Helen is always up to speed with the latest gossip’ is only relevant if you’re applying for a role as columnist at Hello Magazine. Otherwise, try to ensure they stick to the standard qualities employers looks for; reliability, trustworthiness, honesty.

How to get in touch if they have any further questions. It’s best to provide email or telephone contacts. The world moves a lot quicker than the postal service these days!

The post Character references – a candidate guide appeared first on Human.

1. Make sure you have clear instructions on what is expected of you. How long are you expected to speak for? Who will you be presenting to etc. If you’re working with a recruiter, ask them to give you a walk- through of what is and isn’t appropriate. Some clients will be looking for you to use your initiative in how to deliver the presentation. However, it’s safe to assume interpretive dance is never an appropriate format before you reach for your leotard and legwarmers!

2. Make sure you have the tools you need. Can you use their laptop? If so does it support your software? If using your own laptop will an internet connection be available? Is there PowerPoint? Have you practised your timing? Will you use a laser pointer? Will you hit enter or use a blue tooth device to change between slides? Questions, questions, questions. The answer? Expect the unexpected. Yes, you’ve charged your laptop but take your power cord too. Yes, of course your PowerPoint is all singing all dancing but print enough copies of the slides off…just in case!

3. Start at the beginning and end at the end. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? Start with an overview of points you want to cover. This will ensure your audience know what’s coming which will minimise interruptions related to topics covered on the following slides. Having a clear structure will also help you remember the points of your oh so well-rehearsed presentation should the worst happen and your mind all of a sudden resemble a barren wilderness!

4. Present don’t recite. If your potential future employers have asked you to present to them, they are looking for more than just great content and a fancy PowerPoint. They are looking for you to showcase your social skills, your public speaking ability and positive, confident body language. Make sure you interact with the panel. Maintain good eye contact, keep your body language relaxed and open, stand tall and hold your head high. Smile when appropriate. If you’re relaxed, your audience will be. Use your presentation as a visual guide to reinforce your words. Don’t read off the screen or from your notes. Equally, offer notes to the panel but as a reference guide for the slides. You don’t want them to be reading your content as you deliver it.

5. It’s all over! You nailed it! Now you can relax, right? Wrong! Compose yourself, take a breath and prepare yourself for questions. Wait until you’re out the door to pat yourself on the back. The panel may have questions you didn’t cover in the presentation or they may have questions about your presentation. Either way, you should know your content inside out and be prepared for questions.
Best of luck! If you need any more help, please feel free to get in touch

The post Top tips for presenting at interview appeared first on Human.

“I registered with them and spent ages telling them what I was looking for but they never called me back!”

Why does this happen? You have come across a recruiter who works solely for the client. They have a brief to match and if you don’t fit that brief, that’s the end of the road. I believe this is short sighted on their part. A good recruiter will inform you that you’re not a good match and either thank you for your time or ideally speak to you about other roles or keep in touch in case future suitable roles become available. Recruitment should be about building strong, long term relationships on all sides; recruiter, client and candidate.
The solution: Recruitment is not a one way street. Why wait for them to call? Keep in touch with them; send an email every Monday or give them a call on a Friday. A good recruiter is a busy recruiter. If you keep in touch and build an open, honest relationship you can avoid most if not all of the frustration of the recruiter candidate relationship. Having said this, recruiters don’t look favourably on a daily call. Weekly contact is best to keep up to date and memorable for the right reason!

“I went for an interview and I never received any feedback”. /”I was sent for an interview that I was completely unsuitable for”.

Why does this happen? In short you have a bad recruiter who is not managing the recruitment process closely enough for you. This is a problem for all parties involved. You become frustrated, the client looks bad and the recruiter gives both their client and their candidate a bad service.
The solution: The only way to avoid situations like these is to properly vet your recruiter and ask as many questions as you can about the interview process and the client you are being sent forward to. A good recruiter should have a strong relationship with the clients they represent and at the very least they should have visited the company, ideally have met with the line manager, seen where the team works and have a very clear idea of what will be expected of the new recruit. They should also have a clear picture of what the interview process will look like. Of course things change and feedback is never guaranteed to arrive when expected but your recruiter should have time scheduled to speak with the client to gain feedback on your interview and to offer your feedback to the client.

“They always lie about having suitable vacancies to get people through their door to register”.

Why this happens: Some agencies give their consultants targets for the number of people they have to register in a week. This is to try and ensure that if a vacancy does arise that they can react quickly for their client as they have already registered potential candidates.
The solution: Ask your recruiter for information about the role they are considering you for. If you speak with a recruiter and feel like you can work together well, there is an argument for allowing them to work proactively on your behalf rather than waiting for a job to become available and registering then. However, if you do not want to do this you should question your recruiter thoroughly about the role they are recruiting for, the recruitment process, why they think you would be suitable and why this opportunity is a good fit for you. If they can answer these questions, chances are they are serious about putting you forward for the role.

“I’m not going through an agency! They’ll take part of my salary!”

This is the biggest untruth connected to the industry, aside from the fact we’re all money grabbing ‘so and so’s!’ A recruiter working on a permanent vacancy is, 9 times out of 10 working on a commission calculated as a percentage of your starting salary. This amount comes out of the clients’ recruitment budget not out of your ‘salary pot’. A good recruiter will know and understand the marketplace and should be able to advise clients of the optimum salary bracket to find the balance between an attractive offering and the clients’ payroll budget.

“They make thousands of pounds for doing nothing but pushing CVs around!”

If that were true everyone would be doing it and I would be driving an Aston Martin! Sadly, it is not and I’m stuck with a trusty Ford! The recruiters’ commission is only paid once you begin your role and there’s a whole heap of work that happens before that point, much of which goes unrewarded! Unless a recruiter is successful in fulfilling the clients requirements, they don’t get paid so all their costs for advertising the role, meeting with candidates, their time interviewing, testing and helping you to prepare for your interview all go unrewarded if you are not successful. This is yet another reason why it pays to build trust with your recruiter. A good recruiter should always have yours and the clients’ best interest at heart. Our role is best rewarded when we work for mutual goals and have long term benefits at the heart of what we do. Putting ‘bums on seats’ and worse forcing the wrong person onto the wrong seat may secure immediate financial gain but does little to ensure your clients and candidates come back to you for support.
Like any industry there are good and bad recruiters. Hopefully this guide will help you sort the good from the bad and support you in finding a collaborative recruiter who has both yours and your future employers best interests at heart

The post How to avoid the frustrations of the recruitment industry: A candidate guide appeared first on Human.