Helpful insights from our experts

Being a parent is a full-time job, and juggling it with a professional career can be a tightrope walk. The need for flexibility in the workplace has never been more apparent, especially for parents who must balance work commitments with responsibilities like school drop-offs and daycare timings.

Recent legislative changes, such as the UK’s Pregnancy and Maternity (Redundancy Protection) Bill and the Flexible Working Bill, are making strides in this direction. But what does this mean for you as a job-seeking parent? Let’s delve into your rights and how you can negotiate for a work-life balance that suits your family’s needs.

The Changing Landscape: New Rules and Regulations
Flexible Working Bill
The UK government has recently passed the Flexible Working Bill, which allows employees to request flexible working arrangements from day one of their new job. This includes part-time work, flexi-time, compressed hours, and even the flexibility to work from different locations.

Pregnancy and Maternity (Redundancy Protection) Bill
This Bill aims to extend the existing protections against redundancy to pregnant women and those who have recently returned from family leave. If you’re returning to the job market post-maternity, this is a significant step towards ensuring your job security.

Your Rights as a Parent
Equality and Diversity
Employers are increasingly recognising the importance of diversity and inclusion, which extends to accommodating the needs of parents. Discrimination based on parental status is not just unethical but illegal.

Negotiating Flexibility
If you’re a dad who has been offered a new job and you currently enjoy the flexibility to do school drop-offs and pick-ups, you have the right to negotiate similar terms with your prospective employer. The new Flexible Working Bill supports you, requiring employers to consider such requests seriously.

Practical Tips for Job-Seeking Parents
Be Open and Honest: During the interview process, be upfront about your need for flexible working hours. This will help you gauge the company’s openness to flexibility.
Know the Law: Familiarise yourself with the latest legislation related to parental rights in the workplace. This knowledge will empower you during negotiations.
Consult Company Policies: Before accepting a job offer, review the company’s policies on flexibility, parental leave, and other benefits that are important to you.
Seek Advice: Organisations like “Pregnant then Screwed” offer resources and advice on how to handle discrimination or unfair treatment related to pregnancy or parental responsibilities.
Parental rights in the workplace is shifting towards greater flexibility and protection. As a parent seeking employment, you are not just looking for a job; you’re looking for an environment that respects and accommodates your dual role as a working parent. Armed with the right information and a clear understanding of your rights, you can make informed decisions that benefit both your career and your family.

Remember, being a parent doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your career aspirations. In today’s evolving work environment, you can indeed have the best of both worlds.

At RE Recruitment, we can help you find your next role at an employer who values you as a worker and a parent. Whether you are just returning to work or looking for your next role, call us today or contact our team on, and a recruiter will get in contact.

Joining a new company can be a daunting experience for anyone. The process of onboarding is designed to make the transition as smooth as possible and should leave your new recruit feeling welcomed, valued and an integral part of the team. Get that right and chances are you’ll have a happy employee who’ll stay with you for the long-term. Read what RE Recruitment’s People Development Manager, Lucie Dowie, has to say about successful onboarding…

How to have a smooth onboarding process
“Effective onboarding is more than conveying information and ticking boxes, it’s about creating a positive environment that makes new employees feel welcome and engaged from day one. Here’s how to do it well:

1. Set clear objectives
What do you want your new employees to get out of the process? And equally, find out what your new starters want to get out of the process themselves. Onboarding should be a two-way procedure where any questions and concerns are dealt with so that once the onboarding period is over, your new employees should feel that they have everything they need to get on with the jobs they were employed to do.

2. How long is the onboarding period?
Set a clear structure for your onboarding process and get feedback at the end. This will help you improve the process for other new recruits. Provide the new starter with a schedule or timeline that lays out what will be covered and what to expect. Our onboarding procedure is typically three weeks but you can create your own time frame depending on what you need to cover.

3. Onboarding starts before day one!
The wait between accepting a job offer and actually starting can be daunting. That’s why it’s a good idea to start your onboarding process early, to keep the momentum up and to start building that important employer-employee relationship. Send out paperwork, keep in touch and explain what they can expect on day one. Identify what the new recruit will be provided with (laptop, phone etc) and what other things the company provides.

4. Tailor the onboarding to suit the individual
It’s good to have a standard onboarding structure but it should be tailored depending on the job role and needs of the individual. In our three weeks of onboarding, all new starters will cover standard modules but then other modules will be scheduled depending on their job role and experience.

5. Identify essential onboarding
Every new starter should get an overview of the company culture and values, an explanation of the structure and the key personnel. Go through any benefits packages and HR procedures. Introduce recruits to their team and key personnel and encourage current staff to take time to check in with new employees. Check their access to and understanding of company resources, IT systems and tools. Identify gaps and arrange training and development in essential skills and tools so they can ‘get off the ground’ quickly. Essential training should be part of the initial onboarding with the option of ongoing training sessions subsequently.

6. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your onboarding process
Poor onboarding can leave your employees with lower confidence in their new roles, worsened levels of engagement, and an increased risk of jumping ship when they see a new, more exciting position elsewhere. If you want long-term commitment from staff, you should never stop ‘onboarding’ your employees. That means arranging regular catch-up sessions, appraisals, training opportunities and celebrating key milestones in an employee’s career.

If you would like to know more about how to instigate a smooth onboarding procedure at your company, talk to RE Recruitment’s People Development Manager, Lucie Dowie. Lucy has written a blog on our website about Talent Development Strategy and has a wealth of experience with onboarding procedures and can advise you on how to make your new recruits feel welcomed and valued from day one.

The job market has always been fluid and ever-changing, but 2023 marks a significant shift. The recovery from Covid for many businesses has been amazing. But with high inflation rates and higher interest rates being introduced, many businesses are worried about hiring incorrectly in these uncertain times.

An Overview of the Current Job Market

In 2023 the job market carries on a turbulent trend. Many businesses are still seeing a strong recovery from the Covid pandemic, starting to get back to normality and, in some cases, recording record profits, whilst others are looking at inflation and interest rates and thinking about what the future holds.

For candidates, there is no better time to move. The Financial Times recently reported that the job market is still hot, and unemployment is near record lows. This means businesses must offer inflation-busting wage rises to attract the right candidates.

Whatever your situation as a business, having the right person in the right position can help make the good times even better and the tough times a little easier.

How to Review Your Employee Benefits Offering

When attracting the right candidate for your business, your benefits offering could be the thing that sets you apart from other potential suitors.

Look at how your benefits stack up
Take an honest assessment of how you compare with your competitors. Are they offering something you don’t? If you are feeling you are behind, you need to look at the way you can become the leader in your industry for benefits.

Ask your employees
Getting honest feedback from your current employees is the best way to assess your benefits. Your star benefit that might seem great on paper might not been used and could be costing you. If your current employees want a certain benefit, prospective employees may want the same.

Are you Flexible?
Since the Covid pandemic, employees’ outlooks have changed. They are looking to be treated as individuals more and want an employer who is considerate and flexible. This doesn’t always mean hybrid working, it could mean allowing a worker to come in later so they can do the school run.

Investing in your employees
Do you invest in your employee’s growth? By showing how you can help prospective hires grow as an individual, you will show how you can help them progress their career.

What doesn’t work for hiring in 2023

Whether you are writing a job ad or speaking to a candidate in an interview, there are a few things that you need to consider.

The job market is candidate led, with top talent also being spoilt for choice when it comes to applying for a new role. These candidates don’t want to feel like another cog in the machine. The interview process needs to be managed in a way that that doesn’t leave candidates feeling like they are being played against one another, but speed will need to be of the essence to secure the best talent on the market.

The work-life balance is a word thrown around a lot at the moment. Still, you must understand that a candidate is taking time out of their lives to have an interview, so showing small flexibility can help create a positive interaction with the candidates.

Previous generations might have felt that the employer held the cards. Now, with a competitive job market with an increased focus on the employee, more and more companies need to become self-aware about their offering. Today’s professionals expect an attractive package, which is not always about pay. Being an attractive employer means attracting and retaining top talent for longer.

If you are looking for advice on how to take the next step in your employment strategy or have a role that you need help finding the best candidate for, our team is ready and willing to help. Call us on 01242 505 400 or email us at hello@rerecruitment.com, and a specialist member of our team will get back to you.

If you want to get an office job and have no experience, don’t despair! There are still plenty of ways you can get your foot in the door…
Whether you’re new to the world of work or are looking for a career change, working in an office environment can be hugely rewarding. As well as helping you get a foot on the career ladder, there are plenty of other benefits. Developing camaraderie with colleagues, enjoying regular hours, social events and other office perks are important to many people, as are the opportunities to learn from managers and to pursue long-term career goals.

The good news is that there are a number of entry level office positions out there which don’t always require a specific skill set or training. While it is possible to apply for an office job even if you have no experience, there are many things you can do to help you get that first foot in the door.

Consider taking on work experience
It is always worth asking companies if you can do some work experience for them. If you are proactive and show that you can use your initiative, then you never know where this might lead. At the very least, it’s a great way to gain some knowledge of how an office environment works and to develop useful contacts. Contacts which could prove invaluable when it comes to asking for references for your CV and even job introductions further down the line.

Ask about apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are becoming a popular route into entry level positions within an office setting. There are many you can choose from by looking at the government website https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/

Apprenticeships offer you on the job training and while the salary might not be very high, the knowledge and skills you will come away with will be invaluable.

Do a social media cleanse
There has never been a more important time to clean up your social media. It’s the number one way for employers to find out about you so your social media handles need to reflect how you want to be perceived. At the very least, you should have an up to date, professional-looking Linked In page.This is where you can list any soft skills and qualifications that might be relevant to potential employers. You can also give a more rounded view of your personality, listing any work experience, volunteering opportunities and extracurricular activities you have undertaken. Make use of any professional groups and networks on the social media sites and start to build connections by liking or messaging people who inspire you.

Start networking
It’s never too late to start networking. Make use of all the contacts you can think of who might be able to help you, whether that’s family friends, teachers, professors or former colleagues. If you’ve taken on intern work, take the opportunity to talk to your managers and co-workers, in your department and other departments. The more people who know that you are looking for work, the more doors might be opened to you.

Networking events and conferences also provide great networking opportunities and it’s also worth joining industry associations to make more contacts. And don’t forget about social media networking – it’s the obvious place to start to build up your networking skills.

Keep an eye on Job Boards
One of the best places to start looking for office work is on the job board of a recruitment agency or recruiter. This is where you will find details posted of jobs that are currently being advertised. At RE Recruitment, we have a number of office job vacancies that need filling at any given time. We can help you find an office job by matching your skills and personality with roles that suit your character and experience.

Take a temp position
A good way to gain experience in an office position is to sign up with a temping agency. Companies are often looking for short-term solutions to fill an office role and temping for a company can sometimes help you find positions that may not yet have been advertised. RE Recruitment specialises in placing candidates in our latest temporary roles in some of the biggest names in Gloucestershire. If you perform well in a temporary position you may find it leads to other job opportunities, as well as acquiring new skills and knowledge.

Be proactive
It’s always a good idea to show potential recruiters that you are being proactive. What are you actively doing to better your chances of landing an office job? For example, you could take an online course in something that will add value to your application – learning computer systems, touch typing or even a new language. There is so much you can do from home with a computer – you could volunteer to write some content for a charity you particularly engage with or even design some graphics for their marketing purposes. These are all transferable skills that you could acquire in a convenient and cost-effective way to help further your own career.

If you’re looking for an office job and are worried about your lack of experience, contact our team and talk to one of our friendly advisers at RE Recruitment. We can give you some helpful tips on how to get your foot in the door and we may even be able to match you with a current role that’s being advertised.

Hospitality is a unique sector. Unlike other industries, hospitality is based on relationships more than formal qualifications. With such a vast range of roles and job titles, LinkedIn or job boards might not always be the best place to find your next hire; some of the best staff will come through recommendations and relationships.

Search in the right places for the right candidates
Within hospitality, you need to know where to look to find the best candidates. Not everyone in the industry is actively looking for a new role. This means it is easy to miss the best candidates. Using a specialist recruiter who knows the market gives you a way in with some of the best hospitality talent in the area.

Use your network
Word of mouth and relationships make a difference in the hospitality sector. Good chefs know good chefs and great waitstaff know others who excel in their service. Don’t underestimate the value of personal recommendations.

Ask around in your network when you’re looking for a new team member. You’ll often find that hires are just a few connections away.

Craft your job description
Your job specification needs to be more than just a basic outline of tasks. You should be detailing the details that matter, the hours and shift patterns such as weekend work, the type of work environment, as well as the interview process.

Remember, candidates are sizing you up just as much as you are sizing them up. The more appealing and clear you make the role, the better the talent you’ll attract.

Be Organised
You must be prepared to organise an assessment day or an on-the-job interview. This means having a kitchen ready for chefs to display their skills, having the ingredients, the workstation all ready, and a list of what you’d like them to cook. If it’s front-of-house staff you’re testing, have a series of customer interaction scenarios ready for role-play.

Move Quickly But Sensibly
Good candidates won’t wait around forever. If you’ve found someone perfect for the role, move swiftly. Remember, “swiftly” doesn’t mean “recklessly”; conduct reference checks, maybe even a second interview, and ensure they truly fit with your team.

Use a Recruiter
Job boards and your personal network are all well and good, but a specialist recruitment agency can be a game-changer; they already know who’s looking, who’s good, and who will fit in with your needs. They can also offer valuable market insights like salary benchmarks and skills shortages. The time saved and the quality of the candidate you’ll get can make it well worth the investment.

Finding the best staff in hospitality is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it is an industry that requires a personal touch, from how you look for candidates to how you bring them onto your team.. By getting the details right, whether it’s crafting a compelling job spec, preparing thoroughly for assessments, or choosing the right channels to find candidates, you set yourself up for success.

Don’t Rush
Because at the end of the day, the right staff aren’t just filling a role. They’re ambassadors of your brand and company culture, critical to delivering the service that keeps customers returning. So take the time, make the effort, and find the people who will help your business thrive.

To help get the best potential candidates for the job, Re Recruitment’s specialist hospitality recruiters can guide you through the process. Get in contact with our team to start your hiring process today.

The hospitality sector is competitive, and having the right skills on your hospitality CV or cover letter is crucial in setting yourself apart from the other applicants.

Hiring managers often only have time to give each applicant a few minutes. Whether you are fresh to the industry or a hospitality veteran, including these hospitality skills will help get you through the first round of applications and into the interview.

Including and highlighting the skills that employers are looking for is a great way to help the hiring manager qualify your CV at a glance. Here are the most commonly requested hospitality skills for your CV.

Do these 10 Hospitality skills feature on your CV?
1. Customer service skills
The hospitality sector has a huge range of potential jobs both front and back of house. But everything you do is for the customer experience, and even if you’re not dealing with customers on a day-to-day basis, you will have some interaction with them.

Strong customer service skills are one, if not the most, important characteristics that staff must obtain to thrive in the hospitality industry. They are the main reason why guests return again and again to a hotel or restaurant; being able to highlight your customer service skills on your CV can help you stand out from the crowd.

2. Being detail oriented
Good attention to detail is important in all areas of the hospitality sector. It is easy to miss something small that can make a huge difference to the customer’s experience.

The housekeeping team needs to be able to turn over rooms at speed whilst ensuring the room is not only clean but spotless; front-of-house staff and chefs need to work together to ensure that any customer allergies are made clear before any food orders are placed by following health and safety precautions to ensure that no harm is caused to the customer.

Noticing small details, such as a faulty piece of equipment or a mixup in a reservation, can stop something simple and small from becoming a larger issue and affecting the customer’s experience.

3. Creative problem solving skills & examples
In the hospitality sector, the ability to problem solve is one of the most underrated soft skills.

When things go wrong, it is essential that the customer’s experience should not be hindered. If your delivery doesn’t turn up in a restaurant, you have a couple of options: close for the night, find a way to offer an alternative menu, or source the needed ingredients from another supplier.

It is not uncommon for guests to have an unusual request. A guest may have a special request about how their room is set up or have certain requirements for their arrival, and it is your job to make it happen and think outside the box to find ways to meet those needs or exceed their expectations.

4. Communication and conflict skills
Communication skills are essential for any hospitality professional, as you must interact with people from different backgrounds. You need to be able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. You should be able to listen attentively, understand and respond to customer needs, and resolve any issues that may arise.

Conflict resolution skills are also important in the hospitality industry. You will need to be able to deal with difficult customers and situations calmly and professionally. You should be able to de-escalate situations, find solutions that are acceptable to all parties involved, and maintain a positive working environment.

By developing your communication and conflict-resolution skills, you can be a valuable asset to any hospitality team.

5. The ability to multi-task and manage time
It doesn’t matter what sector of hospitality you work in the ability to multi-task is one of the most desirable. Hospitality is a fast-paced and high-pressure environment. The ability to keep a level head and on top of multiple tasks simultaneously can help you and your team deliver better services to the customer.

6. Work effectively within a team
Working well in a team is just as important as the ability to work by yourself and manage your own time. Hospitality relies on great teamwork to help make the customer feel completely at ease. Having the ability to communicate effectively with your team members is essential. You should also be able to listen to and understand their ideas. It is also important to be able to compromise and work together to find solutions to problems.

7. Adaptability & flexibility
Any hospitality professional who has made a career in the sector has the ability to be adaptable. They understand that the job they will be doing that day might not be the same as your job title, but as a team player, you need to be able to turn your hand to almost anything.

Adaptability isn’t just the ability to turn your hand to different jobs, it is also the understanding that hospitality goes through busy periods, and if you can adapt your life to match these needs, you are a valuable member of the team.

8. Willingness to learn
The hospitality sector is vast and vibrant, with many roles that require various skills. Even if your daily tasks may seem routine, the industry’s ever-evolving nature necessitates continuous learning.

A willingness to learn helps ensure that you remain a valuable asset to your team, keeping pace with advancements and new trends. For instance, a new online booking system might initially seem complex, but an open-minded receptionist eager to learn could master the tool quickly, making reservations more efficient and improving the guest experience.

Being willing to learn means staying relevant in your role and improving both your professional growth and the overall operation of the hospitality establishment.

9. Someone who is self reliant
The ability to work alone and take responsibility for your actions is desirable for any position, even when you are working as part of a larger team. Having autonomy and accountability means you can be relied upon no matter the situation. This makes life easier for those around you and can help make you someone dependent on and looked upon when there is more responsibility.

Being able to work independently means that you can be trusted to get the job done without needing constant supervision. This is important in many fields, as it allows employers to assign tasks to employees without worrying about them being able to complete them on their own. Additionally, being able to take responsibility for your actions shows that you are mature and reliable. This is another important quality for employers, as they want to trust their employees to make good decisions and be accountable for their mistakes.

10. Be Resilient
Working in the hospitality industry high-pressure environment. Offering a variety of challenges, from busy shifts to expectant customers. Thus, resilience becomes an essential trait for success.

This quality enables hospitality professionals to face adversity head-on and bounce back from difficult situations, ensuring great service even under pressure. For example, a resilient server in a bustling restaurant could manage multiple tables, handle difficult customers gracefully, and maintain a positive demeanour.

Whether you are looking for the next step in your career or just a new challenge, RE Recruitment has the right opening for you. You can check out our latest hospitality jobs or contact us at 01242 505 400 or email us at hello@rerecruitment.com, and a specialist hospitality recruiter will be more than happy to help.

In today’s fast-paced world, flexibility and adaptability are essential factors in supporting the success of a business. The resulting effect has been a rise in the demand for temporary staff to assist companies in delivering their goals.

Companies are increasingly utilising the talent, expertise, and manpower of temporary staff as a way to insert immediate support in the right areas to create positive results. Temporary staff can support in myriad ways, be it an injection of expertise in a particular field, a skillset for a short-term project, additional manpower to make peak periods run smoothly and cover for periods of absence including sickness, annual and maternity leave.

What is Temping?
Temping, short for temporary work, is flexible employment where a company can hire a candidate for a short or long, set or rolling period of time. This could be anything from a few hours to several months. The nature of the work can vary widely, covering roles across every industry sector.

How do we help?
At RE Recruitment, we have dedicated teams across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire who specialise in supplying talented temporary staff to help companies achieve their goals. We cover warehousing, industrial, and professional services, and understand the impact that the right person in the right role, equipped with the processes and potential to truly thrive, can have on your business.

Every organisation is unique, which is why we take the time to understand the challenges and opportunities specific to your business. We navigate sourcing, application screening, assessment, and the ongoing management and development of your people and we build an individual recruitment solution tailored to your needs.

We also support clients to adapt and understand ever-changing markets by providing marketing trend analysis.

Demand for Professional Services
There has been a huge increase in clients looking to add a cutting edge to their business through hiring professional services temporary staff and for good reason. Temps offer a great way to bridge the gap to help grow or maintain business as usual, and they can offer insights into a new way of working for a company. They can offer high value with negligible risk.

Our head of professional services, Jill Wanklyn, recently shared how businesses can benefit from utilising temporary staff.

During uncertain economic times, staffing levels are critical for ongoing performance and growth. We understand the value and importance of having the right people with the right skills, in the right place at the right time.

We have supported the following:
Public Service Sector including:
Central Government departments
NHS bodies
Local Authorities
Charities
Agencies throughout Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire
Public Sector Frameworks including:
Crown Commercial Services NMNC Temporary and Fixed Term Staffing Framework Agreement
NHS Approved Framework for non-medical, non-clinical appointments
Private Sector:
Commercial
Technical and Engineering 
Industrial
Manufacturing
Construction
Distribution
Legal
Finance
IT
Sales & Marketing
HR
Admin Support
Customer Service / Commercial / Call Centre
Senior Appointments
Expanding Opportunities
Our specialist division not only connects exceptional talent with outstanding opportunities but helps support both candidates and clients through the temporary hiring process to support business success. 

We provide:

A dedicated single point of contact
Fully interviewed and referenced candidates
On-site assessment days and training
Market trend analysis, including salary surveys and recruitment trends
Bespoke marketing and strategic campaigns
Comprehensive account reviews and management information
Nurturing Talent
Lastly, this division allows us to nurture talent in a way that benefits both businesses and temporary workers. Our team provides ongoing support to our temps while simultaneously offering businesses access to a pool of highly skilled professionals.

If you are interested in exploring temp staff for your business, we would love to hear from you.

In today’s fast-paced job market, speed is of the essence. Employers are losing out on top talent due to slow recruitment processes. To stay competitive, it’s crucial to streamline your hiring procedures without compromising quality. Here are some actionable recommendations to help you speed up your recruitment process.

Be Organised: Plan Your Interview Schedule
One of the first steps to speeding up your recruitment process is organisation. Block out a week or two specifically for conducting interviews. If your hiring process involves multiple interview rounds, try to schedule these within a week of each other. Have a list of available time slots ready to make the booking process as smooth as possible.

Be Flexible: Accommodate Candidates’ Schedules
Recognise that many candidates are already employed and may find attending interviews during regular working hours difficult. Be willing to conduct interviews before or after standard office hours or even during lunch breaks if the interview is via video call. This flexibility can make it easier for candidates to engage with you without using their annual leave.

Be Informative: Clearly Communicate the Interview Format
Transparency is key. Let candidates know what to expect during the interview. Is it going to be online or in person? Will it be a general Q&A, an assessment, or competency-based? Also, inform them about the expected duration of the interview. This helps candidates prepare adequately and sets the stage for a more effective interview.

Be Concise: Eliminate Unnecessary Interview Rounds
Time is of the essence, both for you and the candidate. Evaluate your existing interview process and cut out any stages that are not necessary. A streamlined, efficient process will likely keep top talent engaged and willing to move forward with you.

Be Prepared: Review Before the Interview
Preparation is a two-way street. Just as you expect candidates to come prepared, you should also review their CVs and skills. Ensure your questions are relevant, up-to-date, and designed to give you the information you need to make an informed decision. You should know a lot about the candidate before you meet them; this means that you can ask the questions that really matter rather than trying to get to know the candidate’s experience already on their CV.

Be Relevant: Sell Your Company and Role
Remember, the interview is not just an opportunity for you to evaluate the candidate; it’s also your chance to sell your company and the role you’re offering. Make sure to highlight the benefits, culture, and opportunities for growth within your organisation. This can make your offer more appealing to top talent.

Be Ready: Have your offer signed off
There is nothing worse than losing out on a dream candidate because you are waiting to have the paperwork checked and approved from your side.

If you want to speed up the hiring process, ensure you have everything in place to offer the candidate the role within 24 hours of knowing if they are the right fit. If you are competing with other businesses for a prime candidate, often it is the first to make the offer wins.

Be Smart: Team up with a specialist
If you are looking to find the best hires first, you need to have a specialist recruiter on your side. Not only can a recruiter help with the job description, attracting candidates, filtering out application forms and arranging the interview dates, but they also have thousands of contacts built across their career of the best recruits. This makes it easier to found the best people and could even mean you don’t have to go public with your hiring process.

So if you are looking at making your next hire as fast and as seamless as possible reach out to our specialist recruiters on 01242 505 400 or email us at hello@rerecruitment.com, and a member of our will be able to guide you through the process.

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.