Office and Business Support

It can be hard to avoid stress. Everyone faces it at some point and although we often see stress as a negative part of our lives, it can also have a positive effect on us.

We can all benefit from being more productive with our time. Writing a list, that just keeps growing, isn't the answer.

Anyone who has been in contact with us knows how much we value launching people’s careers and company’s employees. So we're looking at all the things that launched in 2008…

We were able to speak to Lucy Atkins co-founder of Trusted Agencies: a website aimed at showcasing recruitment agencies that both companies and candidates can trust. What was it that inspired you to launch Trusted Agencies? Both my co-founder, Martyn, and I come from backgrounds in marketing. We have worked with a variety of recruitment agencies across a range of specialisms and found that the same barrier was presenting itself each time when they came face-to-face with potential clients: trust. Unfortunately, the recruitment industry does have some negative connotations around it, with many businesses having suffered from bad experiences when working with unprofessional recruiters. However, for every ‘bad’ recruiter out there, there are 10 professional and experienced ones that strive for the best for their candidates and clients. Therefore, we wanted to promote these recruiters and extinguish this barrier of trust and hesitation that employers have when working with recruiters. Our platform lists only vetted recruitment agencies that have all the criteria of a Trusted Agency and acts as a place for employers and candidates to search for recruiters that they can trust. How do you think you’ll be able to help recruiters? Our ethos is to work with only trusted recruiters that are doing things by the book and so, for those agencies, we will provide a platform for them to showcase themselves to potential clients and candidates, we will also promote these Trusted Agencies across all of our digital channels. As the platform grows they will receive enquiries and interaction from both employers and applicants that are interested in the jobs they have listed on the website. Our background in marketing means that we understand how to drive relevant traffic to a site and encourage the user to interact (such as submitting an enquiry or making a phone call) whilst they are there. We are also coming from an unbiased place, as we are not involved directly in the recruitment industry or have any interest in starting up as recruiters, our members can feel confident the website is an impartial platform. Alongside the lead generation part of our website, we also want to make a change in the recruitment industry. As mentioned above, the industry is currently suffering the effects of some inexperienced recruiters dominating the market, especially in niche sectors. However, our recruitment search engine will act as a community for professional and ethical recruiters to start to rebuild this industry and move towards building the trust between employers, candidates and recruiters. How can a recruiter show they’re trustworthy? Even the simplest of things can show potential clients that you are a trustworthy agency such as, being a registered company and having an address that you work from both show that you are doing things by the book and do actually exist. Having public testimonials from both employers and candidates give potential customers the confidence in your services. However, it is important that these are shown on impartial websites, such as Trusted Agencies, as users are very wise to fake testimonials on your website. Other key factors such as credit ratings show that you are trading ethically and paying your debts in a reasonable amount of time. Being members of other known associations, accreditations in the sector agencies recruit for, or have a proven track record of delivering outstanding quality and service to both candidates and employers are also key in creating trust. And finally…be listed on Trusted Agencies of course! Do you think recruiters get a bad rep? Our own experience of working with recruiters shows that yes, some recruiters and the industry do have a less than favourable reputation. From aggressive cold calling through to unethical ways of sourcing candidates for roles, recruiters do struggle to build trust with their clients. As we have helped to market some brilliant recruiters we understand that the majority of recruitment agencies can in fact be trusted and deliver excellent service and so, we are aiming to minimise this bad reputation of the industry and promote those recruitment agencies that are getting this right. What do you think the biggest challenges is for recruiters? As the market and industry are constantly moving and expanding, it is essential for recruiters to build strategic partnerships with those surrounding the recruitment sector. Keeping clients is becoming increasingly difficult and so, it is important that recruiters don’t just look at the current roles on their list, but also think about what is coming next and how they can secure long- lasting relationships with their clients and candidates to ensure longevity for their business. As technology advances continue there is also the consideration of changing job roles, especially for those recruiters that fill low-level or low-skilled roles. These soon may be replaced by technology and on the flipside of this, new roles will be created by technology advances – so how are recruiters going to adapt to these changes? Trust is also a challenge for recruitment companies, often clients will work with several recruiters as they feel this is their best chance of filling the role, therefore it is essential for recruiters to combat this by building trust between themselves and the client. We give employers a choice of companies based on their experience, testimonials, specialisms and overall business practices that we have pre-validated for them, saving them the hassle and allowing them to make an informed choice. What are your goals for the next year? Across the next year we have 3 main goals: 1. Put positivity back into the recruitment industry and get clients and candidates excited about working with professional and ethical recruiters. 2. Provide more choice for both candidates and employers when they are looking into recruiting or finding a new role, as it stands choice is limited as a few national companies dominate the market therefore, we want to change this and give a variety of business sizes more exposure. 3. Give recruiters a platform to showcase their services and the fantastic work they are going within the industry. Recruitment is an extremely rewarding profession and we want to provide a place where recruiters can showcase this and be put in front of the right employers and candidates at the same time.

Being the only Doctor Who fanatic in the office, it can be difficult to rouse any excitement from anyone else for the 7th October. This is the date of Jodie Whittaker’s official first episode as the thirteenth doctor and also the first female Doctor Who.

Time is really the only capital any human being has, and the one thing he can't afford to waste - Thomas Edison

An interview for a job in Financial Services can be challenging, whether it's your first or fiftieth interview. Due to the importance of the tasks, an interviewer will test your abilities to ensure you’re the right person for the job.

We are delighted to partner with CV Writer Sue Edwards at Premium CVs. Here she answers some common CV questions...

The probation period is standard protocol after getting the job, usually it is around 3 months but can always be extended. The whole point of this is that you need to impress your managers and colleagues. Whilst you want to solidify that you’re an excellent employee remember that no one expects you to just know exactly what you’re doing. Especially not in your first few weeks.

Depending on the role and the company, you could have several different interviews and they can all involve using different skills. We’ve got a list below with 10 of the most common types of interview, what you should expect and what your interviewer requires from you.

“The football’s on tonight”

Growing gulf between pay of younger and older people, says TUC A recent article in the Guardian has identified a ‘growing gulf between pay of younger and older people.’ Whilst young people in the UK are already struggling to save enough money to leave home and get a mortgage, we question whether it is differing attitudes of these generations towards work that is creating this gap? Marketing expert Simon Sinek thinks yes and has given his take on the difference in attitude of millennials: ‘[Millennials are] thrust in the real world and in an instant they find out they’re not special, their mums can’t get them a promotion, that you get nothing for coming in last - and by the way, you can’t just have it because you want it.’ According to Simon, it is possible that a this it could be the lack of altruism which is leading to millennial’s reduced dedication to their jobs. As a millennial myself, I do take comfort in Simon blaming parents for the cultivation of this attitude. Maybe I really can blame my parents for the reason I don’t earn as much money as older generations… We are a generation, according to Simon, used to ‘winning medals for coming last’ and this is a primary perpetrator in encouraging this attitude in comparison to older generations. They didn’t have access to instant gratification: parents couldn’t buy replacements phones straight away, they had to work for their money and if they wanted to communicate with someone it wouldn’t be as simple as sending a WhatsApp. Is it really the “taking part that counts” attitude, for being able to access anyone at any time and having instant recognition for achievements through social media engagements that has made some of the younger generation entitled and therefore unworthy of higher pay? Are workplace benefits the reason for the pay of younger and older people? Employers are asked quite often from millennials about flexible working hours and the ability to work from home. These have become common requests, with as many as 70% of millennials wanting flexible working hours. Research by RIAS has also found 44 per cent of younger people were found to have feigned illness to avoid coming into work, compared to just 12 per cent of over-50s. And almost a third of 20 to 39-year-olds also see sick leave as an ‘additional holiday’ that they deserve and are entitled to. If we put these statistics to an older generation we might hear “back in my day we were happy to have a job and did whatever we had to do to keep it.” Perhaps this is where the millennial generation are having a shortfall in drive. Perhaps it’s lack of gratitude for having a job that makes employers resentful in giving the same payslip to both the millennials and their older, more grateful counterpart. That said, looking at the CVs of millennials you’ll find a vast number of free or low paid internships, work experience and charity work, alongside a Saturday job, university and outside skills. Many millennials perhaps feel “entitled” not because they’re “self-absorbed” but because they work very hard, for very little, and feel they deserve a job which reflects that. Millennials, starting out at work have such an array of skills, qualifications and experience that perhaps they feel empowered to find the right job which warrants their hard work. An attitude which encourages self-worth but could also hinder career growth and getting that first foot onto the ladder. It’s the shared understanding between self-worth and the desire to progress which is what will make a successful candidate. What we think We are finding experience in a specific role or industry is key these days and pay will generally go in line with relevant knowledge and the right attitude, no matter what age or generation you belong to.