Helpful insights from our experts

With temporary staff becoming the new ‘It’ thing in the job market, we thought we would catch up with the wonderful Jill Wanklyn to discuss how businesses can use temporary staff to revolutionise their business.

Jill is an amazing person with a huge heart and first-class knowledge and experience in the world of recruitment. As well as leading the temporary team in our professional services department supporting clients across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire she also helps run and support good causes closer to home.

Hi Jill, Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your experience?

I started working in recruitment in 1982, so over 40 years ago! Over this time, I have worked with various clients and candidates and met some amazing people. I still get a buzz from sourcing the right candidate and placing them in the perfect role! There’s something really rewarding about helping someone get their dream job and building relationships with clients.

As a recruiter, I have proudly supported leading SME and FTSE250 companies across the South West. I also have a track record of recruiting successfully for various professional functions for SMEs and large corporate customers. I have supported public service sectors on framework agreements.

The recruitment landscape has changed significantly since I began my career, and I am passionate about driving continuous improvement, developing our services, and working in partnership with clients. That partnership with clients means I can provide in-depth market knowledge and recruitment advice and consultation to both the private and public service sectors.

What’s the best part of your job?

I love the relationships we build with businesses and candidates and helping create perfect partnerships. I get the best understanding of a client and their needs by meeting them and this helps me find exactly the right candidate for them.

If you could describe my job, it’s like a puzzle, you can put all the pieces together in the morning, and by lunchtime, they’ve all fallen out. I love problem-solving and remaking the puzzle. And no two days are the same. It’s about working in partnership, from a client’s point of view, making their job easier, and, for the candidate, it’s finding the right job.

I also love the team at RE. We’re a dysfunctional family where everybody is welcome!

Can you tell us a little more about RE?

RE was founded over 20 years ago by Richard East, and it has grown into a company with some of the best knowledge and expertise in recruitment. In 2021 we won the independently judged Recruiter FAST 50 award for being the UK’s fastest-growing, privately-owned recruitment company.

Over the years, we have built an impressive portfolio across the public sector, including Central Government departments, NHS bodies, Local Authorities, Charities and other agencies across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. We have also worked across a wide range of private sectors and have specialist in-house recruiters for:

Commercial
Technical and Engineering 
Industrial
Manufacturing
Construction
Distribution
Legal
Finance
IT
Sales & Marketing
HR
Admin Support
Customer Services
Call Centre
Senior Appointments
How does your team fit into RE?

The Professional Services team at RE is a hive of talent sourcing! We provide both permanent and temporary placements across many sectors, whether a business is searching for just one skilled staff member, a one-off project or looking to build an entire team.

I manage the temporary side of the Professional Services division. We understand that every situation is different, and we’ve helped businesses in the private and public service sectors overcome their recruiting challenges. Our consultants are experts at finding the right candidates to suit the right roles and have built a deep knowledge base with insights that help our clients define their temporary talent strategy.

We are committed to working with our clients on an ongoing basis – finding temporary candidates who will be able to provide the niche expertise and new perspective needed.

Why should companies use temps?

The perception of using temporary staff has changed. They are no longer just a way to fill a gap. Temporary staff can bring a wide range of skills and experiences without the commitment of permanently expanding the company’s headcount.

For our clients, this means that you can drastically change your offering with little to no risk, especially when you only pay for the hours they work. For example, if a company is pitching for a new piece of work and want to gain the experience and skills for that piece of business, they can bring in a temporary worker. If, for any reason, they don’t pitch or don’t win the piece of work they can let the temporary worker go with no issues or ill feelings.

Why should clients look to use your team?

Each client we work with has a specialism. Ours is that we find the best talent for our client’s needs and then make hiring that talent as easy as possible. We do this in a few ways.

Robust Talent Network:

We have a vast network of skilled and pre-screened temporary professionals across various industries and job functions. This lets us quickly identify and connect you with the right candidates with the necessary skills, experience, and cultural fit for your organisation.

Streamlined Recruitment Process:

We are committed to delivering a seamless and efficient recruitment experience. From understanding your requirements, sourcing suitable candidates, conducting thorough assessments, to coordinating interviews and finalising placements, we oversee the entire recruitment process with attention to detail, ensuring that your time and resources are optimised.

Proactive Relationship Building:

Everyone in the team believes in forging strong partnerships with our clients based on open communication, trust, and collaboration. By taking the time to understand your organisation’s goals, culture, and specific needs, we can tailor our temporary staffing solutions to meet your unique requirements. We are always available to address any concerns, provide updates, and offer ongoing support throughout our partnership.

Continuous Support:

Our commitment to your success extends beyond the recruitment process. We are dedicated to ensuring that the temporary professionals we provide continue to meet your expectations. We communicate regularly with clients and candidates to address issues, provide guidance, and foster a positive working environment.

I always ensure that a member of my team or I visit the client too, so we can understand the company culture, and recruitment process, so ultimately, we can help source candidates who will be the right team fit.

What projects are you most proud of?

I am proud of my ability to make things happen quickly. From running large contact centres for local businesses, finding people for a job tomorrow, and recruiting staff for large ad hoc projects.

At the peak of the pandemic, I worked with a client in the supply chain to implement two contact centres, one in Nottingham and one in Birmingham, to support crucial public sector services with PPE. The supply chain supplies all goods that go into hospitals other than medicine; when covid hit, they needed so much more to support, and they needed help creating this additional infrastructure. I was given the task and had to do it within a week and staff it. It was challenging initially, but I rose to it, and it was a success. The team I built supported medical professionals calling to get PPE, doctors surgeries, hospitals, physiotherapists etc. The contact centre was supposed to run for 12 weeks but ended up running for 12 months.

In addition to this, we ensured that the staff welfare was supported on an ongoing basis. And, of course, because this was during the pandemic, everything had to be compliant, so strict processes were in place per the regulations.

What do you do to unwind outside of work?

Outside of work, I am involved in a number of projects to help the local community.

I work alongside SPORTED and the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner to offer “At Risk” young people between the ages of 13 and 25 the opportunity to learn and train in Tae Kwon-Do based Martial arts and fitness. Our club, White Tiger, is the only club in the area allowed to work with SPORTED and Gloucestershire PCC to provide these facilities to youngsters. I am also the designated safeguarding officer, meaning I am the first point of contact for all staff and volunteers to advise if they are concerned about a child.

I also run a Friday night diversionary project, “TACT”, to bring positive experiences to disadvantaged people. Every community would like to see a reduction in anti-social behaviour, and we address this with the vision of giving young people a safe place to hang out and help make communities safer, more enjoyable places to live and play.

At 6 am, you will catch me at the gym, and in the evenings, you will find me with my Maine Coon cat called Basil, who I adore and who has his own Facebook page!

How can Clients get in touch?

If any clients are looking for advice about temporary workers or want to register an opening that they have, the best way to get in contact with my team is at Professionalservices@rerecruitment.com

For many people, no matter their age, hospitality can offer an amazingly rewarding and varied career. And whether you are already in the industry looking to take a step up or just getting started on your career path, hospitality can open up a new world of possibilities, but what are some of the drawbacks and is hospitality for everyone?

Firstly, what are the benefits of working in hospitality?
Fast Paced and Exciting
Working in the hospitality industry is often fast-paced and exciting. There is always something happening, and no two days are alike. Whether it’s planning for a big event, welcoming new guests, or managing daily operations, there’s always something to keep you engaged. It’s the work environment that suits people who thrive on interaction, problem-solving, and multitasking.

A People-Centred Industry
At its heart, the hospitality sector is a people-centric industry. It’s all about providing high-quality experiences and services to customers. For those who enjoy working with people, solving problems, and delivering excellent service, a career in the hospitality industry could be a perfect fit.

Room for Growth
As you can see from our list of hospitality sectors above, a key advantage of a career in the hospitality industry is the opportunity for growth. Starting from an entry-level position, hard work, commitment, and a keen understanding of customer service can lead you up the ladder to more senior roles. Many hospitality professionals who started their careers in entry-level positions have grown to become general managers of hotels or even owners of their own establishments.

The possibility to travel
Depending on your area of expertise, hospitality offers a great opportunity to travel the world and experience new ways of working. There are always ways that you can transfer one skill from a hospitality segment to another.

Perks and Discounts
Certain roles within the industry offer amazing discounts on travel and stays around the world, making it perfect for those with a deep-seated desire to explore new destinations.

What are the challenges of working in hospitality?

Like any industry, a career in hospitality comes with its own set of challenges.

The industry’s nature means often long and unsociable hours are common. When people outside of the industry are taking time to unwind, it is often your time to start work.

This change in typical work days can be a difficult adjustment when coming into the industry. Still, for many, this is short-lived, with many finding their social group with others working within the industry.

What qualifications do you need to work in hospitality?

Many entry roles do not require formal education or training, which is a great way to find out if a job is for you. You also do not need any formal education to progress in your career but for many, a formal education is beneficial to their progression and will allow them to move up the career ladder faster.

University Degrees
Though not required, gaining a hospitality degree at university can help give you a step up in your career. Not only does a degree give you the theory and knowledge to progress quickly through the industry, but many universities help you gain relevant experience in a number of different companies.

Hospitality management degrees can equip students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. From understanding how to deliver exceptional customer service to studying the intricacies of hotel operations, these programs prepare graduates for the real world.

Universities and colleges worldwide offer hospitality management degrees that cover everything from hospitality business fundamentals to advanced operational concepts.

Apprenticeships
Although not as prevalent in the hospitality industry as in others, apprenticeships allow you to earn whilst you learn. Giving you a foot in the door gives you the experience and education you need to help get your career off the ground.

If hospitality is the right industry for you and you want to find your first job, or whether you want to make the next step up in your career ReRecruitment is here to help. You can check out our hospitality job board to find our latest roles or email us, and a specialist member of our team will get back to you to discuss how we can help.

FA production operative works within a factory. They work on a production line assembling goods to be sold at a later process. There is a vast range of manufacturing sectors where operatives are needed. Being a production operative is a great opportunity to learn new skills and become a dependable team member.

Do you need qualifications to become a production operative?
There are no strict qualifications for a production operative. Employers usually ask for GCSEs or equivalent. including English and maths, to show you have the skills to perform the tasks and work safely within a team. Some positions may require certain qualifications, but these are often in the more senior positions and not required for entry-level roles.

What skills do I need to become a production operative?
There is a vast range of sectors in which a production operatives may find themselves working. For example, the skills required for an operative to work painting and finishing parts for the aerospace sector are very different to those who work in food production, processing and packing food for the general market. Some of the most transferable skills a production operative needs are the following:

A willingness to learn
Assembly lines are busy and fast-paced work environments. The ability and willingness to learn new skills and ways of working will help you understand more about the production process and help progress your career.

Can work as part of a team
An assembly line is very rarely just one person. You will typically be working with a close team who have tight targets. The ability to work with people on a regular basis and help those in need is an invaluable skill to employers.

Attention to detail
When manufacturing goods, a high level of quality control can save your company time and lost revenue. By spotting issues with a product before it reaches the end of the line or, even worse, the customer, you can help improve your company’s reputation and yours.

The ability to work independently
Whilst being part of a wider team, the self-reliance to work on your task without the need for supervision can help set you apart from other candidates. Health and safety plays a huge role in the world of production.

Many positions are open to new starters and require no previous experience. Others require experience in similar areas. Contact your local RE Recruitment Office to know if you are the right fit.

How much does a production operative make?
The average salary for a production operative is around £9.70 – £10.50 per hour but can reach much higher for experienced operatives in specialised sectors.

To give you an idea of what to expect, here are some of the current salaries advertised with us: Tewkesbury £10.42 per hour, Toddington £24,000 per annum, Evesham £10 – £11.45 per hour and Telford – £12 per hour for night work.

A good rule of thumb is that the more technical the work, the better the pay. Machine operating requires more training and skill than a production worker and will be more paid.

What hours do production operatives work?
The hours are set and offer the ability to work full or part-time. Depending on their employer’s operating times. Some will work set hours every week, whilst others can work 12-hour days for four days and have four days off. Some factories have two shifts that work rotating shifts, for example, week 1- work 06:00 – 1400, week 2 – work 14:00 – 22:00.

Are there opportunities for progression?
Factories are busy places with many opportunities for you to progress in your current role or move into another area of the factory. Once you have built up some experience in your current role, you can apply for a supervisor role looking after a small team below you and making sure your team hits their targets safely and timely.

There are also a number of training opportunities for those who show willingness; and are perfect who want to upskill, such as those who want to become a machinist or learn to drive vehicles such as forklift trucks which can open possibilities and job growth.

If you are looking to take your first role as a production operative or take the next step in your career, look at our current roles and let us find the perfect role for you.

In the ever-changing business landscape, temporary employees often need to be hired. Whether it’s to meet an unexpected surge in demand or cover a permanent employee’s absence, enlisting the help of temporary staff can be a lifesaver. If you’re wondering how to hire temporary staff for the first time, you’ve come to the right place.

Understanding the Types of Temporary Employment
Before we delve into the hiring process, it’s essential to understand the types of temporary employment available. Each type of temporary employment has its own benefits and use cases, so it is important to understand which one is right for you.

Fixed Term Contracts
Fixed-term contracts are employment agreements with a definitive end date. They’re ideal for seasonal demands, specific projects, or maternity cover.

Seasonal Contracts
Seasonal contracts are often used during periods of seasonal demand, such as the holiday season for retail businesses or summer for tourism and hospitality sectors. They help businesses manage the increased workload during these peak periods.

Zero Hour Contracts
Zero hours contracts offer maximum flexibility. Employees are not guaranteed work, but can be called in when required. They’re perfect for businesses experiencing unpredictable demand.

Freelance Contracts
Freelance contracts are unlike the other contracts on our list. A freelancer is self-employed and, instead of signing an employment contract with the company, charges a fixed rate for services. This means that they can be easily brought in on a project-to-project basis. Freelancers usually have a number of years of experience and are experts in their field.

How to Hire Temporary Staff in 6 steps
Once you’ve identified the type of temp worker suitable for your needs, it’s time to move to the hiring process.

Step 1: Define Your Needs
Clearly identify your business needs. Is this a short-term hire or do you anticipate a longer-term requirement? What tasks will the temp staff be responsible for? Answering these questions will help you decide on the best course of action.

Step 2: Understand the market
The job market is constantly changing, and with inflation continuing to rise in early 2023, it is important to understand what a competitive salary is. The easiest way to understand what is expected of potential employees is to talk to those recently hired or working within the recruitment industry.

Step 3: Choose the Right Hiring Route
There are various routes to hire temporary employees. You could use a staffing agency, which is a fast and reliable way to hire quickly, especially if you’re looking for temp workers on short notice. Alternatively, you could opt for direct recruitment. This could save on some costs but requires more time and resources.

Step 4: Draft an Effective Job Description
Your job description clearly communicates the role, responsibilities, required skills, and duration of the contract. This is also an opportunity to advertise your business as an attractive workplace.

Step 5: Understand Legal Obligations
Remember, as an employer, you’re required to consider certain legal aspects such as tax and national insurance, ensuring the national minimum wage, and understanding the rights of your temporary staff.

Step 6: Onboarding
Once you hire temporary workers, make sure they feel welcomed and supported. Providing necessary training and clearly communicating their roles and responsibilities is a great proven way to motivate temporary staff.

What are the benefits of using an agency?
A recruitment agency or Temp Agency are often the easiest and fastest way to find staff to fill your role. They have the experience, and knowledge to assess the role and find the right experienced workers. Many agencies will have a list of workers that are ready to start work at short notice and have gained work through the agency previously; these are called Agency Workers.

Agency Workers
Agency workers, often referred to as temp workers, are sourced from recruitment agencies. They are ideal for meeting short-notice needs and can be employed for varying lengths of time.

Agency workers often have a range of experience working within similar areas and can help you fill a place at short notice and can gain a better grasp of training and new situations

Considerations when Hiring Temporary Staff
Bringing in temporary staff can provide a wealth of benefits for your small business. It offers flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and the chance to evaluate potential permanent employees in a real-work environment.

However, it’s important to consider the balance between full-time and temporary staff to maintain harmony in your workforce. Additionally, be aware that temporary staff are entitled to certain benefits, such as annual leave, based on their work hours. Like all new hires, there are advantages and disadvantages to hiring temporary staff.

If you are ready to hire a new temporary member of staff or want to know more about the process, our team of experienced recruiters will be more than happy to guide you through the process. Contact our teams at 01242 505400 or email at hello@rerecruitment.com.

Recruitment is a crucial aspect of every successful business. Understanding why companies use recruitment as a tool for growth and maintaining a competitive edge can set you apart from your competitors.

But why do businesses recruit and why is investing in recruitment good for your business? Here we explain 7 reasons why every business should always be looking to perfect their external recruitment process.

1. Attract and Retain High-Quality Talent
Attracting the best talent requires businesses to work on their employer brand. Today being a good employer isn’t just about wages; it is about providing job satisfaction and an engaged work environment. This makes it easier to attract new hires, which improves your team and makes it easier to hire again and again.

As a business continues to improve its team, their business becomes more attractive to higher skilled and experienced workers, showing you’re not stuck with the same old system and that you are looking to improve and better yourselves constantly.

2. Improve morale and performance
A positive work environment and good team dynamics are essential for high employee morale and performance. When businesses focus on recruitment, they can positively impact by creating a supportive and productive atmosphere.

Focusing on the right skill sets and long-term goals during the hiring process can also improve overall performance.

3. Enhance Skills and Experience
Recruiting new talent helps bring new skills and perspectives into your organisation. Not only does this help fill potential gaps in your company’s knowledge, but encourages personal growth within the existing team.

New hires can help keep your business more competitive and adapt quickly to any future changes within your industry.

4. Reduce Staff Turnover
Replacing staff is a huge headache for many businesses; every time someone leaves, they take away invaluable experience. Employees leave for a number of reasons, their situations change, people retire, or they just want a new challenge.

By hiring the right people to improve your team, you can improve employee retention, helping to save you time and money in the long term.

5. Improves Business Growth
New hires not only bring a range of experiences to your workforce, but they can help build a higher profile for your business and attract new clients. Quality hires can bring gravitas to the company and allow you to advertise their experience and knowledge.

New hires can bring in new potential clients by sharing their news on their social media like LinkedIn. This enables you to get your name out to a new audience who might never have heard of you before or what you do.

6. Streamline the Recruitment Process
Like all things, the more you do something the easier it gets, and recruitment is no different. The more your company looks for and hires the best talent the easier it is to attract the best talent. This is where having the right processes in place and using the right recruitment partners can make all the difference.

Using a recruitment agency like RE Recruitment who understands your business and your goal can help save you hours of searching for the perfect candidate. Our vast network of candidates are vetted by us so that you can concentrate on your business and we can find you the perfect candidate.

7. Adapt to a Changing Job Market
The job market is constantly changing, and those who offer a flexible recruitment strategy will come out on top. Understanding what is expected by suitable candidates can give you the best chance at hiring the best candidates in the market. Our team can advise you on the challenges of recruiting in 2023 and help you stay one step ahead of your competitors when it comes to attracting the best talent.

We’re here when you need us
As you can see, recruitment is essential for your business’s success. Not only does good recruitment give you a strong and skilful workforce, but it can also help future-proof your company and improve its culture.

When you are ready to prioritise your recruitment, we have a team of highly experienced consultants who are eager to help. Our recruiters have experience helping companies just like yours to fill permanent positions and find temporary staff.

To discuss your needs and goals, call us on 01242 505 400 or fill submit your staffing requirement directly to us and we will work with you through the recruitment process from writing your job descriptions through to negotiating the job offer.

For today’s businesses, hiring temporary staff can help address fluctuating workloads, fill in for absent employees, or meet seasonal demands. However, weighing the advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether temporary employees are the right fit for your organisation is crucial.

Whenever you are looking to externally recruit, the process is usually time sensitive. Whether it’s a spike in demand for your services or product or filling a gap in your team to reduce any downturn in productivity. This time pressure can lead to decisions being rushed, so before you hire it’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of hiring temporary staff.

What are the advantages of hiring Temporary Staff?
1. Flexibility
Temporary workers can help businesses adjust to their workload and scale up or down as needed. This is especially important in industries that have sudden changes in demand, like retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. Using temporary staff can also be useful if you are trying something new and don’t want to commit to a permanent employee.

2. Meeting Seasonal Demand
Temporary workers can help meet increased demand during peak seasons without long-term commitments. Employing temporary staff allows companies to manage workload spikes efficiently, ensuring a smooth transition between high and low-demand periods. Not only is this true in the retail sector but also in agriculture and the food industries; as one of the only two suppliers for the UK’s seasonal worker visa scheme for the poultry sector, we know the importance of getting the right workers in place to match seasonal demand.

If your business is susceptible to seasonal demand, our blog on how to solve labour shortages in the UK with the help of seasonal workers is a great way to understand the benefits of hiring seasonal workers.

3. Lower Downtime
Hiring temporary staff can minimise downtime caused by employee absences or sudden departures. By quickly filling vacant positions, businesses can maintain productivity and avoid disruptions to their operations.

4. Managing Wage Bill
Temporary workers can be a cost-effective solution for businesses, as they typically receive fixed hourly rates without requiring benefits such as health insurance. This financial flexibility enables companies to manage their wage bill effectively, especially during uncertain economic times.

5. Access to Specialised Skills
Temporary staff can provide businesses with specialised skills for short-term projects or specific tasks. This expertise is invaluable when a company needs to execute a project quickly and doesn’t have in-house expertise. This also works if you do not need the skills regularly enough to justify hiring them as full-time employees.

Read our guide on hiring temporary staff for the first time.

What are the disadvantages of hiring temporary staff?
1. Competition for Hiring
Hiring temporary staff can be competitive, particularly in industries with high demand for skilled labour. However, RE Recruitment’s expertise in finding the right candidates ensures your business has access to top talent, even in competitive markets.

2. Unfilled vacancies
Unfilled positions can disrupt business operations, potentially leading to missed deadlines or reduced customer satisfaction. RE Recruitment’s efficient and timely placement services minimise these disruptions, helping businesses maintain their output.

3. No guarantee on the standard of work
Any hiring process runs the risk of introducing someone who is not the right fit for your company; this is the same with temporary staff. They might not have previously worked to your standards or may not be able to physically do the job required. RE Recruitment’s screening process increases the likelihood of a positive outcome, and are always on hand to help whilst our candidates are being hired.

4. Lack of Time for Training
With limited time for training, temporary employees may need help to adapt to new work environments, which can impact productivity. RE Recruitment supports businesses by providing pre-screened, skilled candidates. These candidates are ready to contribute from day one, reducing the time and resources required for onboarding.

5. Inconsistent Company Culture
Temporary employees may only partially integrate into a company’s culture, potentially leading to disengagement or reduced teamwork. RE Recruitment selects candidates who align with your company’s values and culture, fostering a positive working environment. We may even be able to provide the same employees, making it easier to embed your new hire into your team.

6. Time spent searching
Looking for people to fill temporary positions can be a drain on your time and resources. If you are continually looking to hire temporary workers throughout the year, you could benefit from an onsite recruitment solution.

RE Recruitment can help by providing you with your own in-house and dedicated consultant, or team of consultants, who specialises in hiring, interviewing and qualifying your candidates for you. You can discover more about the benefits of onsite recruitment in our linked blog to see if it’s the right fit for your business.

Partnering with a temporary staffing agency
At RE Recruitment, we specialise in matching businesses with qualified temporary staff who meet their specific requirements. By partnering with a temp agency like Re Recruitment, you can streamline the hiring process, save time and resources, and gain access to our vast pool of skilled candidates.

If you are looking to make a hire, whether it be a group of temporary staff members or seasonal cover, why not call us on 01242 505 400 for a free consultation?

Whether you’re looking to grow your team, or replacing a colleague, the thought of recruitment can be a daunting task for any manager. You’re already busy with your daily tasks and now have to find time to create a job description, filter through applications, and interview candidates. All while ensuring the rest of the team continues to operate.

Hiring due to an employee departure means balancing team morale while finding a new team member who will fit the team dynamic. But recruitment should be seen as an opportunity to bring new and fresh ideas into the company to help your team or business grow.

Some businesses prefer to promote team members into senior roles, which is what we refer to as internal recruitment. Whilst others will look to hire new talent by recruiting externally. There really is no right or wrong way to hire. Typically, the complexity or urgency of a vacancy will determine which route is best to take.

What are external and internal recruitment?
External Recruitment
The external recruitment process is the typical recruitment people think of. It involves hiring someone from your business and bringing them into your team. When you recruit externally, you can find fresh talent and new perspectives, which can be great for shaking things up and keeping your company dynamic.

Internal Recruitment
Internal recruitment means hiring someone already in your workforce. This could be transferring someone from another department, or promoting someone when you feel they are ready for more responsibility. It’s a fantastic way to reward hard work and dedication while making the most of the talent you already have on board.

What are the benefits of Internal Recruitment?
Like external recruitment there are benefits to recruiting from within your organisation.

Time saved hiring
Recruiting can be time consuming so often recruiting internally is the straightforward option. You already know the candidate, their skills and how they fit into your company culture. Whilst this is simpler, this provides another hole to fill by the promoted employee.

Rewards loyalty & improves morale
Everyone likes to be rewarded for their loyalty, and a promotion to a more senior position is largely the positive outcome for any employee.

But promoting internally can also harm the larger workforce. If a staff member is promoted over others with similar or more perceived experience, it can be seen as favouritism. This can lead to relationships breaking down between management and the workforce.

Retain staff knowledge
Each year an employee works for you, they gain invaluable knowledge about how your company works and your customer base. This knowledge may be lost if the employee were to leave.

Promoting staff can be a reward for their loyalty. It helps keep their knowledge within the business and gives them a platform to help spread their knowledge to other members.

Cost of recruitment
Internal recruitment saves you something that all businesses want more of, time and money. Promoting a team member means you can skip advertising, agency fees, lengthy interviews and the onboarding process.

What are the advantages of external recruitment?
Access a larger talent pool
When you opt for external recruitment, you can access a vast pool of potential candidates. By casting your net wider in the talent pool, you are increasing your chances of finding the perfect candidate.

The recruitment process can also help you consider broader skills, experiences, and backgrounds that your current workforce may be missing, which is great for the ever-changing digital world.

Gain fresh perspectives and ideas
Hiring externally brings fresh perspectives and ideas from people with experience in different industries or companies. These new viewpoints can drive innovation, improve processes, and stimulate creativity within your organisation. Hiring external talent is one of the fundamentals of continuous improvement.

Avoid internal conflicts
External recruitment can help sidestep potential conflicts or issues arising from promoting or transferring existing employees. This can prevent any feelings of resentment among team members. If you are advertising a vacancy you can still allow people from within your organisation to apply and interview for the role.

Add value to your brand
Bringing in top candidates outside your workforce is a great opportunity to shout about your brand; this works when dealing with existing and potential clients and makes you more attractive to future candidates who can see you as a place to go and make their mark.

Should you use a recruitment agency?
Before considering whether to use a recruiter, it’s important to understand the benefits of hiring a recruitment agency. Filling a job vacancy isn’t as simple as it used to be. Writing a job description and creating an ad is the minimum that needs to be done. This is where hiring a recruiter can take your search to the next level.

Using the right channels is more important than ever when finding potential candidates. Recruiters will go beyond the job boards to find relevant candidates across social media, social forums and personal networks.

Finding you the right candidate
Not every skilled worker is looking for a new job. An established recruitment agency has access to a network of high-quality job candidates who aren’t actively applying for jobs.

This can be because the candidate has approached the recruiters to apply for a listing or the recruiter has a previous relationship with the candidate from placing them in a role previously, which means that finding the right person can be faster than when going it alone.

Experts at recruitment
Recruiters are experts in finding candidates for open vacancies. As a hiring manager your job is your speciality, for a recruiter, this is what they do every day. They can help you write effective job descriptions, present you with qualified candidates, provide up to date market information such as potential recruitment challenges and advise on expected salaries.

Keep job openings discreet
Recruiters understand the need for discretion. If you are hiring a senior staff member and want a seamless transition without others knowing, using a recruiter can be the best option. They can feel out qualified candidates before revealing your company and help the whole process transition seamlessly, from the initial search to the interview process and finally making the job offer.

Benefit from dedicated support
If your company regularly hires throughout the year, having a skilled recruiter to turn to can really take the weight of responsibility off your shoulders.

A dedicated onsite recruitment solution affords businesses and hiring managers the ability to recruit effortlessly. By providing onsite support, your recruiter will become an extension of your business and develop a deeper understanding of your team and organisation. You can learn more about the benefits of onsite recruitment here.

Contact a recruiter at RE
For over 20 years RE Recruitment have helped businesses across the UK grow their teams. If you are looking for your next hire or need advice on attracting suitable candidates, our team are ready to help.

It is completely free to speak with a member of our team about a vacancy and if you would like to speak to one of trained recruiters please contact us today.

If your business has struggled to fill vacancies over the last 12 months, you’re far from alone. In a recent study by Remote, it was uncovered that over 90% of UK businesses are struggling to fill vacancies due in large to skill shortages in the UK job market.

In our recent blog, recruitment challenges in 2023 we discussed the impact of a candidate led market – a situation where there are more businesses looking to hire, than candidates looking for jobs. As an employer this means, not only trying to compete for new talent, but competing to keep the skilled workers you have within your business. So how can you fill vacancies when there are no applications and seemingly no candidates available for your opening? This is where partnering with a skilled recruitment consultant comes in.

Before signing up to any agency, it’s important to consider: what makes a good recruitment consultant?

What to look for from a recruiter?
Finding the right recruiter for your needs can be difficult, like using any new service; the best way to see if a recruiter is right for you is to talk to them. You can also look at an agencies history, such as how long they’ve been in business or what client’s they’ve supported. If an agency has been successfully run over a number of years or decades, there’s a good chance that the agency is creating strong partnerships with businesses like yours.

There are recruitment agencies that specialise within niche fields and others that cover an array of sectors and job roles, with a deeper understanding of entire sectors or markets, like our team at RE Recruitment.

By covering a wider range of job roles, our consultants are afforded more exposure to the recruitment processes of different industries. This exposure ultimately leads to growth in communication & negotiation skills which are crucial to becoming a well rounded recruiter.

Whether you have worked with a recruiter before, or are considering a new agency, here are a few important skills to look out for when partnering with a recruitment consultant.

Strong negotiations skills
A skilled recruiter can effectively navigate discussions between you and candidates, especially regarding salaries and job offers. Their experience and emotional intelligence enables them to work towards outcomes that your organisation and hires are satisfied with.

Choosing a recruitment consultant with excellent negotiation skills can facilitate successful hires and foster positive long-term relationships with clients and candidates.

A Network of existing relationships
A successful recruitment consultant has years of experience building healthy relationships. They will often be the first person a client will go to when they are starting to look at a new hire, and the first person, a candidate, will message when thinking about changing roles. Finding someone who has a phonebook filled with the best candidates can save you time and headaches when you come to find your next hire.

If a recruiter already works with businesses similar to yours, there’s a good chance they already know the type of candidates you’re looking to hire. Remember, the best candidates are usually in jobs, so having a recruiter unlocks the door to candidates who aren’t actively applying to job ads.

An effective communicator
When you are looking for a recruitment consultant, it’s essential to find one with strong communication skills. A good consultant understands how to deal with people, they will engage professionally with potential candidates, building trust and rapport to assess their fit for roles better and your company culture.

A skilled recruiter will also help you communicate your requirements effectively to candidates looking for work. If your job descriptions are the same as every other live vacancy, candidates are left to form an opinion based on your brand and the package on offer.

An experienced recruiter will provide you and your candidates with constructive feedback, helping to refine your requirements and interview techniques. They will make sure that both you and the candidate are happy with the appointment. They can then provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates, and keeping the door open for any future approaches.

Taking the time to understanding your company culture
A good recruitment consultant will take the time to understand your day to day company culture and the kind of candidates that will thrive within it. By understanding your company’s values, work environment, and overall goals, they can better identify the candidates who would fit seamlessly into your team. This will result in a more successful hiring process and a higher retention rate of new employees.

Effective use of social media and online platforms
The recruitment industry has changed. In today’s fast-paced digital world, social media and online platforms play a crucial role in the recruitment process. A good recruitment consultant should be experienced in using various social media platforms and trying to build their own brand. In a market led by candidates, recruiters should aim to be the recruiter that candidates approach when the time is right for them to look for a new vacancy.

By building a brand on social media recruiters and agencies have better success in finding candidates, promoting vacancies, and engagement rates with potential applicants. This will enable them to cast a wider net, increasing the chances of finding the perfect candidate for your organisation.

Experience in your market
Many recruiters specialise in different sectors, so finding a consultant or agency with knowledge and experience in your field of expertise is essential. This simple rule makes finding the right recruiter much more straightforward and ensures they understand your needs before you approach them.

Your chosen recruiter can offer guidance on candidate expectations, typical career progression, and current market conditions, such as salary benchmarks and competition for talent. This understanding allows them to screen and shortlist candidates more effectively, ensuring that only the most suitable applicants are put forward.

Using an agency often means that it is easier to find these consultants. Whilst an agency may work in several industries, their in-house team consultants will each specialise in a sector. You can get the specialism you are looking for from the individual with the wider support of a larger company.

Ready to make your next hire?
As a recruitment agency with over 20 years experience, we have built relationships with businesses across the UK like yours. We have regional offices in Cheltenham, Hereford, Telford & Worcester, with teams ready to help you with your candidate search. If you have an open vacancy and would like some free advice with hiring please complete our vacancy requirement form and we will partner a specialist consultant to your business.

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, the question on most recruiters minds is “how will AI affect my job?”. But for a good recruiter, AI isn’t something to be afraid of, it’s a set of tools that can help revolutionise the recruitment process like never before.

What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is the most famous and advanced AI content tool available at the moment. It can take complex questions and requests and produce human-like responses in real-time. ChatGPT has been developed by a company called OpenAi and was founded by a group of data scientists and tech entrepreneurs, the most famous being Elon Musk.

Even the most advanced machine learning systems have their limitations. For example, the current ChatGPT model (GPT-3 Language) was developed using data from 2021, so it has no recollection of any data or events from the past 12 months, so any data that it provides needs to be thoroughly checked by the user.

How do you use ChatGPT?
There is a completely free version of ChatGPT at openai.com, and as the name suggests, users interact with ChatGPT through a chat window. The user requests or asks questions in the form of ‘prompts’, and the AI uses natural language processing to extract the information requested and answers questions in such a natural way you think the answers are human written.

This powerful piece of software can perform many tasks, you can ask ChatGPT to create content writing for your blog, break down complex information into easily understood summaries, and even find bugs in a programming language. Its writing can be so convincing it even fooled a recruiter into putting it forward for a job interview.

How to utilise ChatGPT in recruitment?
There are multiple ways ChatGPT can be used as a tool to streamline the hiring process; the best thing about ChatGPT is that you can use it to suit you and your individual needs; Here are the top 5 ways it can change the way recruiters work:

Assisting in writing a job description
A great job description is the best chance of attracting the right candidates for any job, but making sure you are hitting all the important points whilst keeping it concise can be tricky; with ChatGPT, you can take a brief from a client and turn it into a Job Description within minutes. You can then edit the description, adding any missed information or changing the tone, helping to save time to get the job listed.

However, because Chat GPT uses information widely available on the web, it’s important to finesse what the machine outputs. This can be achieved by writing comprehensive prompts to act as briefs and correcting any robotic sounding content by injecting personality. After all, the role of any job description is to attract the right candidate for the job, so ensuring readability and accuracy are critical.

Preparing a bank of interview questions
Whilst working across many different sectors and roles, it can be difficult to have the relevant questions on hand when it comes to screening applicants. To make it easier, you can load the client’s brief into ChatGPT and ask it to generate a series of questions. You can then adapt these questions to your own needs by using your own experience to focus on the most important aspects of the role.

Filtering applicants
Once you have taken your job description from ChatGPT, edited and posted it, you will hopefully be receiving hundreds of applicants’ CVs filling up your inbox. Thankfully ChatGPT can help with this as well; you can use ChatGPT to filter through the mass of CVs, making sure that the candidates have the relevant experience and qualifications, severely cutting down on the time it takes to assess a candidate.

Automating Candidate Feedback
As a busy recruiter, your focus is often on those high-value tasks and the needs of your clients. This means it is often impossible to give applicants the attention they want. With ChatGPT, you can generate unique email templates for an applicant, whether it is an update on the process or feedback on why they haven’t been selected. This is useful, especially in the early stages of the process, where applicant numbers are higher.

What are the Limitations of ChatGPT?
One of the biggest drawbacks of ChatGPT and other machine learning projects is consistency with the information produced, ask ChatGPT the same question phrased differently, and you may receive two conflicting answers. Also, as previously mentioned, the information it provides can be dated. As of 2023, the latest ChatGPT model was trained in 2021, so it does not know of any event since, for example, it does not know of the Queen’s passing in September 2022.

Like all ai development, the software is only as good as its programming, and with ChatGPT, there is an inherent bias built in, as OpenAi CEO Sam Altman acknowledged in his tweet earlier this year. It is something that they will be looking to write out of the code in future releases, but this has to be a watch out for anyone looking to use the software in a professional capacity:

Walk down any high street in the UK and chances are you’ll pass a number of shop windows advertising job vacancies. This is especially true when hiring seasonal staff in peak seasons, such as Christmas and summer holidays when staff shortages are at their highest. Call it a kickback from covid or a Brexit-backlash, but whatever’s happening out there, it’s leaving a huge gap in the UK’s labour market.

According to the Office for National Statistics, one of the key features of the UK’s labour market in 2022 was staff shortages. Seasonal demand was a particular problem, with 32% of employers (with more than 10 staff and privately owned) encountering labour shortages in December 2022. And it doesn’t look like that trend is going to change any time soon. That’s why the UK’s prime minister has pledged to get people back to the jobs market as a top priority for 2023.

But in the meantime, there are many strategies that employers can put in place to help solve labour shortage problems as RE Recruitment’s Head of On-site recruitment Mark Norton highlights below.

Why you should consider using seasonal employment to overcome labour shortages
One immediate solution to navigate the UK’s labour shortage is to explore seasonal workers as a recruitment solution. If you’re finding it difficult to recruit the numbers you need at peak season, Seasonal Recruitment Support could be the solution you need. This specialist service takes care of everything, from staff welfare, visas and accommodation to travel and transport, and all applicants undergo a thorough vetting process. Whether you’re recruiting in the food production sector, horticulture, warehousing, healthcare recruitment, or construction, seasonal workers can provide businesses with short-term or longer-term solutions to their labour shortages.

The advantages of using a seasonal worker recruitment solution
With the UK’s labour shortage at an all-time high, finding enough staff to meet your criteria at peak times is more difficult than ever. You need staff that are reliable, hard-working and willing to get the job done efficiently, leaving you free to focus on the running of your business at these busy times. That’s exactly what our seasonal recruitment support service can offer you.

Our Bucharest Recruitment Office, specialises in providing teams of seasonal workers for seasonal employment in the UK, and it couldn’t be simpler to get them on board. Here’s why you should consider a seasonal staff campaign for your business:

Eliminate any admin headaches
Our Bucharest office has been set up to offer a safe and stress-free route for seasonal workers to be employed in the UK. Our team manage the whole recruitment process for you, including all travel and visa requirements for workers, organising and providing comfortable, safe and audited accommodation, and managing the welfare of workers while they are in the UK. It really is a one-stop shop solution for businesses that need to hire staff to meet seasonal demand.

Hire a reliable and professional seasonal workforce
RE Recruitment employ seasoned professionals with experience of seasonal employment, meaning they are professional seasonal workers. Our workforce are well looked after, so staff retention is high, providing a talent pool of skills and experience that RE can pass on to UK businesses at peak times. We have a network of qualified seasonal workers who are committed to fixed placements, and are selected for their efficient and conscientious approach to work. That means you won’t have to worry about employees jumping ship or taking time off while they are with you!

Seasonal worker schemes are endorsed by the British Government
Following a competitive tender process, RE Recruitment were chosen as one of two suppliers for the UK’s seasonal worker visa scheme for the poultry sector. This means RE can sponsor a number of temporary migrant workers to apply for a seasonal visa. Applicants will be placed from October to December to cover the seasonal poultry labour shortage.

Saying no to modern slavery
One concern some companies may have about hiring seasonal workers from abroad is the risk of exploitation. RE Recruitment have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking. Staff are trained and workers are encouraged to speak out about any signs of exploitation and RE representatives are present at all stages of the recruitment process. We also hold a UK GLAA License (Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority) and are a ‘Stronger Together’ business partner, showing a public commitment to tackling hidden labour exploitation.

The seasonal worker recruitment practice is a tried and tested method that works
The hiring of seasonal workers can help to solve labour shortages in many industries including food production, horticulture and warehousing. RE Recruitment’s Seasonal Recruitment Service is so successful that many organisations come back year after year. That’s because the process we provide is a simple, one-stop service that represents a cost-effective way to increase productivity at busy times of the year.

Preparing to hire a number of staff for the seasonal period?
If you are interested in finding out how seasonal workers could help fill a labour shortage in your company, we would love to help. By submitting a staff requirement on our site you can share the details of your hiring requirements for one of our recruitment teams to get back to you.

Alternatively, why not contact us directly by calling 01242 505 400 and asking for our seasonal worker team?