True story with a purpose. Years ago, I was recruiting for a client in Ayrshire, who needed a Design Engineer.  As per usual I took on the job, quoted our fees, yada yada yada.  During the process of sourcing candidates I networked through to a candidate who seemed to match the requirement perfectly.  I approached...Read More

THIS is the secret to successful recruiting; the best place to find your ideal candidate is where your ideal candidate hangs out.  Kinda obvious isn’t it. These are five ways of fishing where the fishes are.  Some involve actually stepping away from your PC..! a) Digital Looking for techies?  Hang out in the online forums...Read More

Have you ever met someone for the first time, told them what you do for a living and been greeted with a look as though you have just told them you were in the business of body snatching? Like journalists, lawyers and politicians, recruiters are not ranked very highly in the list of favourite vocations....Read More

There is inevitable duplicity built into the entire recruitment process.  Would you advise a candidate to be scrupulously honest, and offer “full disclosure” in a discoverable way online? Lies being told. 1. Candidates appear at interview, pretending that they already want the job, when they can’t possibly know until they have satisfied themselves with the...Read More

There is a continually repeating “circle of life” in the UK recruitment industry, where its own progeny leave established firms to set up in competition. I know, as I’ve been part of it. The incidence of this is most evident amongst the small and medium recruitment firms up and down the land. As an industry,...Read More

This phrase is famously quoted in the seminal (in my opinion) movie, Wayne’s World, and attributed to either “Kierkegaard or Dick Van Patten”.  It’s not always easy to control how we are defined by others, but we all make attempts to do so.  Often random events or idiosyncrasies become how other people relate to you,...Read More

As a recruiter of some 30 years now, I have become wearily familiar with my chosen profession being traduced and derided, along with other careers and jobs, such as estate agents, lawyers, and traffic wardens.  30 years ago I got married.  I was only 21, and immediately afterwards (the next week) joined HMS Recruitment in...Read More

A ship at sea relies upon 3 things: propulsion, steering and navigation. Without any one of these it will never reach its destination, cannot avoid immediate obstacles or can only go where the currents dictate, and eventually run aground. These three components are also vital to any individual’s career. Propulsion, or power.  Even the very...Read More

How well do you know recruiters? Good? Great? Better than anyone? Well, no matter how well you know recruiters, here are 11 facts about the hiring professionals that might surprise you –  1. They are happier with their jobs than the average person Seventy-eight percent of recruiters are happy with their jobs, which is 6...Read More

These are typical of the kind of questions I like to ask candidates in interview.  What are your favourite questions? 1. Which sensation do you enjoy the most? For example the sensation of winning, achieving, relief, being ahead of schedule, independence, being part of a team etc. 2. Of your siblings and peers, who is the...Read More