We briefly touched on this in May and the Equality Act has now become law from 1st October 2010, replacing nine existing laws with a single Act of Parliament. The aim of the new Act is to make it easier for staff to understand their rights and employers to understand their obligations.

Covering issues from gender pay gaps to pre-employment health screening, the Act is far ranging and it is your obligation to ensure you comply.

Two points to consider as an employer:

• With a few exceptions it is now illegal for employers to question candidates about health before they have been offered a job.
• If a co-worker is doing the same job as another member of staff but being paid more, they can ask for a pay rise and discuss their pay even if there is a pay non-disclosure clause in their contracts to ascertain if their is any discrimination.

For more information visit www.equalities.gov.uk

(please do seek legal advice to confirm any of the issues here)

Interim government employment once appeared to be a permanent part of the job market, but Federal cutbacks are taking their toll as department heads wait for spending reviews before committing to hiring any new interim employees. According to Charles Wilson, the head of the public sector at Penna Interim, the effects have been devastating, “with no interims being taken on unless it’s for a business-critical or front-line post. In large government departments taking on an interim means going directly to the director-general of finance.”

The same mentality is affecting many public sector non-permanent positions, and according to Jamie Houlder, the Director at the Hays Public Services, the “reluctance to take on interims to fill business-critical positions” has increased because employers simply ask their existing staff to absorb the workload while they search for permanent replacements.

The majority of the part-time/contract jobs have fixed-term contracts that range from 3 to 12 months, and are either employed in IT projects or serving as “seat warmers” while recruiters search for more qualified candidates. Currently, this  market is worth £300-500 million per year, although the exact figure is hard to calculate because many such appointments are informal and made through word of mouth contacts.

Most interim employees are usually quite qualified – if not over qualified – for positions they hold and often have decades worth a private sector experience to contribute. Even though there are claims that some interims make more than the Prime Minister, their pay cannot be directly compared with salaries that include benefits, insurance, retirement plans and a lower overall tax rate.

Another threat to interim jobs are the many soon-to-be redundant civil servants who are trying to stay in the work force by re-branding themselves as interims. Interim jobs in the IT field, CRM and procurement seem to be the most targeted for this type of strategy.

Experts are also noticing that the pay interims usually command is suffering as well. The director of BIE, Steve Dengel, says that even though interims are far cheaper than “calling in one of the Big Four accountancies as consultants,” but even that hasn’t stopped employers from tightening down on their budgets by designing contracts with terms that have performance stipulations. Dengel explains, “I suspect we’re going to see price reductions that change the way terms are paid… we recently placed an interim chief executive in a quasi-public body, and while the day rate has remained steady it’s been done on the agreement that 20% of their pay will be held back until they’ve hit agreed targets.”

However, some interims are becoming more valuable, especially those skilled in cost reductions, lean manufacturing solutions and change management. Such project managers have seen up to a five-fold increase in their pay rate, even in the public sector. The managing director of Interim Partners, Doug Baird, explains that “demand for lean and six sigma specialists is likely to grow. These project directors have a really specific skill-set, so demand for them can increase at the same time as other consultants are facing cuts.”

Perhaps the single most important effect of your job advertising is the generation of good quality candidates. It is one of those statements that is much easier said than done. Here are some tips for drafting an advert that will help you to generate those quality jobseekers.

• Choose a job title that reflects accurately the job role and responsibilities.
• Include an overview of your company and mission statement if you have one.
• Consider the age range of the candidates you are trying to attract by using words and phrases that are familiar to them.
• If you are trying to attract the millennial generation try using words such as flexible, challenging, opportunity for growth etc.
• Be as clear and concise as possible. Create interest with a catchy phrase to keep the jobseekers reading.
• Include your company logo for brand recognition.
• Look at what makes your company unique and emphasise this.
• Use bullet points for qualifications, responsibilities and requirements no more than six to ten is best.
• Check that everything is spelt correctly and the grammar is good.
• Try not to make the advertisement too long as jobseekers will rarely read to the end.
• Give clear instructions on your chosen method of application. ie Completed application forms only will be accepted.
• Try to include keywords that relate to the position so that the internet search engines will pick up on these.
• Look at other employers adverts to make sure your company stands out.
• Ask for a quote from a current employee on what makes your company great to work for.
• Try to include a salary scale.
• Try to bear in mind that you are selling your vacancy to jobseekers.

If you would like some assistance in perfecting your job advertisements the Land-Force Customer Care team are here to help.

When you sit down at an interview, it’s perfectly fine and acceptable to ask the interviewer your own set of questions. In fact, it’s expected and can be quite off-putting if you don’t. Not having any questions to hand might create the impression that you’re not really that keen on the position.

As well as the company trying to establish if you’re their ideal candidate, you need to ask questions in order to establish if it’s potentially the right company for you.  So ask, ask away. The following questions are ones you might want to ask. However, they are mere suggestions as you can, of course, make up your own.

Warning: do not ask questions that can be answered by visiting the company’s website; it’ll show you haven’t done your homework properly.

So, without further ado:

1) What is a typical working day for the role?

It’s important to get a full-bodied idea of what the role entails/the range of tasks you’d be expected to fulfil should you secure the role. Asking for a run-through of the tasks involved in a typical working day should hopefully paint an example of that.

The interviewer should be able to oblige you. However, if he/she is unable to answer your question or is sketchy about it, then this should raise an eyebrow.

(Credit: Bellucci)

2) How many people are in the team for the role I’m applying for?

Some people prefer (and thrive in) an intimate working environment – nothing wrong with that; while others prefer the hustle and bustle of a swarming work environment. Dynamics can differ for both.

What’s your preference? If the interviewer replies with a team size that’s not ideal for you, perhaps it’s something you could get used to. Is it a challenge that could ultimately strengthen you? On the other hand, if you’re neither here nor there about it, it might still be a question to ask just to help you build a mental picture.

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3) Who will I be reporting to and what is his/her management style like?

Perhaps you have a clear idea of what management style suits your working method. Knowing who you’ll be reporting to and how he/she leads the team (or department) might help you decide if you can picture yourself in the role or not. Does the description of management spell out potential friction, stress or personality clashes for you? Or do you feel yourself drawn to it? Remember: it’s about what you feel will work for you, so listen to your gut.

(img credit: Usfbps)

4) Are there any training opportunities within the company?

Will the company absorb the bill for (or subsidise) any training courses you might decide to go on in the future to advance your career, or is it down to you to train in your own time and with your own money? This covers further education as well.

If the company doesn’t cover training expenses, ask if it offers paid days off for training (as opposed to you having to book it as a holiday).

(img credit: Frank)

5) Is there room for growth within the company?

If you’re aiming to reach a certain career level in the future, then this question’s a pretty important one to ask. Is the company in line with that plan of yours? What are the chances that, as long as you apply yourself and work your socks off, there’ll be room for your growth through the company?

You might also want to ask for examples of any of its staff who’ve achieved just that (and whether there’s a chance of possibly having a meeting with one or two of them). You could even ask the interviewer what position he/she initially started at within the company and where they are now.

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6) What do you like about working at the company? What would you choose to improve within it?

This is an opportunity to glean some information from someone who works on the inside. Why did the interviewer choose to work for the company? How long has he/she been there? What does he/she like about working there?

The second part of the question is a rather bold one to ask as, perhaps, not every company would admit to its own weaknesses. How forthright will they be? It doesn’t mean it’s a question that shouldn’t be posed; far from it. In any case, both questions can be very useful in helping you make up your mind about the job.

As well as listening to the interviewer’s response, listen with your eyes: watch their body language.

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7) Where does the company see itself in the future?

Showing that you have a genuine interest in the company and where it’s going packs quite a good punch. It’s also a chance for the company to blow its own trumpet.

Depending on the answer/s the interviewer replies with, it might make for a neat segueway into you suggesting how you feel you can contribute towards its future success.

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8) Will you only contact the successful applicant (or shortlisted applicants)? How long before I hear back from you? How will I be contacted?

Some companies do tend to say that if you hear nothing from them within a set period of time, then you should assume you didn’t get the job. So establish how the company operates in that regard: do they contact all applicants regardless of success, or do they only contact the person they’d like to offer the position to (or the ones who have been shortlisted)?

If the company does respond to everyone, how will it do so (email?, post?, pigeon?), and when can you roughly expect to hear from them.

(img credit: Evilerin)

9) If I’m successful, when would you expect me to start?

This is obviously important to know if you’re in current employment. That way, you can gauge when to hand in your notice to your current employer should you get the job. It might also be useful from a financial point of view as you might need to be aware of a potential gap between receiving your last pay packet from your current employer and your first pay from your (hopefully) new employer.

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Its always great to get feedback from people using our site, but its especially rewarding when we get great success stories from very happy job seekers!

“I found the Land-Force.com web page by accident. I uploaded my CV without any expectations of a quick response. To my surprise I received my first contact within 12 hours and I had an offer of work from that first contact within 4 days.  Since then I have had to request Land-Force to remove my CV as I have been inundated by potential employers.

I can not believe how successful the website was for me – my only regret is that I did not upload my CV sooner!

Thank you for an efficient and highly effective service.”

Neil J.

Obviously this is an exceptional situation, especially since it occurred over a bank holiday weekend, but it goes to show that if you have a reasonable CV and are flexible with your requirements small miracles can and do happen!

We wish Neil all the best and hope to hear how he is gets on in his new job.

Swedish winter adventure business, Axehandle Mountain, has been using Land-Force.com for several years to recruit seasonal kennel staff to help look after its 65 purebred Siberian Huskies.

The business offers sled-dog tours from Christmas to Easter each year from its base in the small village of YXSKAFTKÄLEN in the North of Sweden.

Recently Axehandle Mountain needed to recruit an additional kennel worker to fill an urgent vacancy and so it once again turned to Land-Force.com.

Graham Kent from Axehandle explained, “we needed to rapidly find a new member of staff and so we placed an advert on Land-Force.com on a Thursday. We had 20 applications very quickly and following telephone interviews on the Saturday our new employee flew out to join us on the following Monday, just 4 days after advertising! I particularly like the CV functionality on Land-Force, which enables me to browse CVs and shortlist candidates for interview. We only advertise vacancies on Land-Force.com as we have been so pleased with the results in the past.”

The new Equality Act is set to become law from October 2010, replacing nine existing laws with a single Act of Parliament. The aim of the new Act is to make it easier for staff to understand their rights and employers to understand their obligations.

Covering issues from gender pay gaps to pre-employment health screening, the Act is far ranging and it is your obligation to ensure you comply. For more information visit www.equalities.gov.uk

Nottingham based Access Training provides training and apprenticeships in Animal Care and Horticulture as part of its wider business and was recently looking to recruit for a vacancy. Having never used Land-Force.com before Human Resources Officer, Chris Rodgers, didn’t really know what to expect but Land-Force.com delivered…

Chris comments: “The assistance I received in placing the advert online with Land-Force.com was second to none and compared to the price of advertising though other sources, the fee was very reasonable. Ultimately though, when advertising a vacancy, the most important factor is how the position was filled and ours was indeed filled via Land-Force. Needless to say, I have already placed a new advert on the site for another position that we are currently recruiting for.”

If you are in the market for a new job and are lucky enough to get invited to an interview then remember to research the business and the market it operates within before you go. Whilst no potential employer is looking for candidates to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of their business it will look like you are not interested if you don’t know anything at all. Visit the company’s website, download and read any annual reports and visit their competitor’s websites to get a better understanding of the marketplace. If possible, try to think of some relevant questions about the business that you can ask during the interview. Just a short time preparing can be hugely beneficial when you are in the hot seat and might just be enough to get you the job!

If you want to recruit and retain good staff, people must want to work for you in the first place and enjoy it once they are on the team. But how do you become an ‘employer of choice’? This is not something that happens overnight but rather is a reflection of your branding and the way you treat and motivate staff. Does your organisation have a clearly articulated strategy? Is communication with staff open and transparent? Are employees encouraged to engage with the business and valued? Are your terms and conditions competitive amongst your peers and do you offer training and development opportunities?

Ultimately your success as a business is based on the performance of your employees – they are your most precious asset and your most important audience so take time to involve them and understand their motivations and it will pay off as you will attract and retain higher calibre employers.