Neil Harrison, Head of Employer Branding & Insight, TMP Worldwide opened up the event with some great examples of Employer Brand best practice, demonstrating  what has been achieved in some of his Client organisations.  It was clear, with the correct resources and budget in place, the Employer Brand message can be incredibly powerful, permeating throughout all communications and processes both internally and externally. 

Catherine Schlieben, Head of Recruitment at ITV then guided us through the realities of entering a business with very limited Employer Brand presence and walked us through her approach. What she has achieved in her initial 18 months is incredible.  She has transformed the internal recruitment model and has created an Employee offering that has dramatically increased the pool of relevant Talent applying to ITV.  Now she will be working closely with HR to ensure the message is consistent across other people processes to ensure maximum Employee engagement and on-going retention.

The messages from both parties were very clear:

Your Employer Brand is absolutely integral to business strategy – resonating well beyond the doors of the HR department.  It is a promise you make to all potential, would-be, existing and might-be-again employees and therefore must be consistently communicated at all levels and throughout all people processes.

Finally David reminded everyone that recruitment partners must be chosen very carefully.  They are often the first ‘direct’ conversation between a client and their future talent and so must understand the value of a strong employer brand – and the importance of how it is communicated.  The recruitment consultant will not only represent your Employer Brand authentically, but will also be able to guide the right talent to your door.

The top tips from the day:

1. The involvement and endorsement of senior leaders is critical
2. The research supporting your brand should be topical and relevant
3. Your employer brand does not exist in isolation but should engage with your consumer brand and your business objectives
4. Ideally, your messaging should work internally as well as externally – candidates should land in the organisation they thought they were joining
5. If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it
6. A great Employer Brand will engage and retain your staff
7. You will attract higher calibre staff for less salary if you are true to a best practice Employee Value Proposition
8. It will save you money, but it does require investment to do that
9. And finally, if you’re not doing it…

And what did our guests have to say ….

“Thank you for organizing such a great event, amazing venue, great speakers and superb company”. Cecile Pineau, Yahoo

“Thanks so much for inviting me this evening. I had a really informative and entertaining night”. Daniel Ely, Jamie Oliver

“Just a quick note to say thanks for last night – great speakers, very interesting topic and rather too much wine”! Jo Bolding, Sony Music

What’s your experience – were you at the event? What did you think of the presentations – and how do you work with recruiters to ensure that your employer brand is represented well?

You can see the full article here. But in the meantime, we thought we would share the pertinent points from the piece with our readers.  Perhaps the most obvious comparison of the advertising industry is that of the hit series – currently airing its fifth season – Mad Men.  But is this an accurate comparison of life in this industry today? Perhaps not. Whilst many of us may like the idea of work as depicted in Mad Men – drinking cocktails throughout the working day, appearance meaning everything, and adverts and commercials being devised over a lengthy period of time – today’s advertising execs are experiencing things far differently. And advancements in the digital world are one of several factors changing the way these professionals work.

With the increased use of social media channels by brands hoping to reach a far greater audience, successful candidates need to not only keep up with rapid advancements in the social and digital space, but also work on far tighter timescales. As the piece explains “Advertising is no longer an industry that gives creative types weeks or months to ponder ideas before unleashing them and hoping they work. Today it is an industry led by men and women who know how to analyse data and use social media”. And technology has meant that consumers have a multitude of platforms to respond to brands instantly – via the likes of blogs, Twitter, Facebook etc.  Professionals must have the creativity skills as well as the analytical capability required to keep track of their brand’s reputation both off and online.

The industry is seeing clients play a more ‘hands on’ role making working relationships far more collaborative with all stakeholders contributing.  These changes have meant that organisations seeking professionals for their own business have to be more open-minded about where they get their staff from. They can’t simply look at candidates with an agency background. They may, for example, have to look at recruiting from the client side or from digital PR agencies.

What’s your view? How has digital technology changed the way you work?

As an article on FT.com points out: “The deal is reminiscent of Google’s acquisition of YouTube for $1.65bn in 2006 when video was becoming the latest web craze. The price seemed high at the time and it has taken years to show signs of paying off.”

Interestingly, while the Google/YouTube deal was entirely stock based, the Facebook/Instagram deal is based on cash as well as stock. While the actual amount hasn’t been disclosed, if the founders and employees of Instagram take a lot of cash it may be a sign that they won’t be around for ever – something that FT.com points out may be  “a potential negative for Facebook which has used acquisitions in the past to attract senior talent to the company.”

One thing that is clear is that at the moment,  this all good news for the media and entertainment jobs market as social media sites like Facebook are now multi million pound advertising and marketing businesses .  According to an article in media week, Facebook now employs around 70 people in the UK, the majority of which work in sales.  Additionally, it is expanding its workforce in London and is due to move in to larger premises.  And think about the number of brands that are now using gamification to drive consumer engagement mixing entertainment with promotion.  So for those with advertising sales skills, social media marketing experience and digital skill sets the future could be very bright indeed. Why not check out our latest jobs pages to see what’s available?

1. Relevant skills, experience and contacts: Hiring organisations, whether that be agency or in-house, are looking for professionals who have worked on similar brands and who have something tangible to offer the business. This could be in the form of contacts and in-depth knowledge about a particular industry to add further credibility to the team and more consultative and advisory value to clients or the board. Recruitment budgets are tight and clients are taking less risk and want to hire as close to briefs as possible.

2. Integrated skills: An interesting trend is the on-going shift in the sector towards the full-service agency – those that can offer integrated marketing/PR/digital/design for instance. This is calling for a broader range of roles than has historically been the case – marketing managers for PR agencies for example. What this means is that roles and skill sets are becoming much more defined and employers are creating job specs with tight criteria.

3. Social media skills: Around 90 per cent of the briefs we receive have some element of social media and online PR so it’s a must have skill whatever your level. You don’t have to be an expert, but being able to walk into an interview and say that you have built online relationships with bloggers or other on-line influencers within your specific industry sector is bound to add weight to your application.

4. Evaluation skills: ROI is at the top of everyone’s agenda. Consequently analytics and evaluation skills are in demand. Although hitting coverage targets is still essential, we’re finding that an increasing number of clients want to see what impact this coverage has and explore whether alternative approaches could result in more success.

5. Techies: There is exceptional high demand for tech PROs for both B2B and consumer accounts and with the number of new tech companies moving into the new “Silicon Roundabout” area we can only see this increasing.

6. International campaign experience: More organisations are looking for new revenue streams beyond their traditional domestic borders and so need PROs who can see the bigger global picture.

7. Senior digital expertise: We are also seeing increased demand for senior digital specialists at director level who can pull all the strands of digital strategy together from winning and developing new business to keeping abreast of developments in terms of new and evolving digital platforms.

Whilst there is no denying that the PR market for job seekers is a competitive space, those candidates with the relevant skills and experience are being snapped up quickly. Ensure you are continuously adding to your skill set and keeping up with new developments in order to give yourself the best chance of success. Good luck!

Perhaps the most obvious observation is to question the legality of such a practice. However on a more personal level any business asking for such information is surely not only invading the privacy of a potential employee, but also risking damaging its own employer brand. After all news of bad interview experiences can travel fast, particularly through social media channels.

Another factor worth considering is the reality that in a tough job market, candidates are going above and beyond what is required of them just to secure employment. Therefore, if businesses do  demand log in details from their applicants, some individuals may be forced to hand these over simply because they fear that not doing so will jeopardise their chances of securing employment.

So what should you do if a prospective employer asks for your Facebook details, or you suspect your social media profiles are already being looked at?  Here’s some advice from the team:

1. Always have in the back of your mind when putting something online – whether it is a blog post, a comment, a LinkedIn or Twitter update, or a picture – that it could potentially be found by a quick Google search. In other words think carefully before posting anything and be aware of your digital footprint.
2. If you haven’t done so already, tighten up your privacy settings on Facebook.
3. While the scenario is unlikely, if you are confronted with the decision of whether to hand over your log in details, perhaps the question to ask yourself is: Do I really want to work for an organisation that thinks it is ok to view what amounts to your private and personal correspondence?

What’s your view? Can you see more employers requesting log in details in the future? And if so what would you do? Let us know by commenting below.

• Identify your goals. While your employer will obviously want to establish whether you are clear about your role, what is expected of you, and how you are performing, you may very well have other goals. Pin point these well ahead of time so you are prepared. Ask yourself: Am I approaching this meeting with a view to being promoted, securing a pay rise, or perhaps even to establish my future at the company? And whatever the answer, have this clear in your mind.
• Ensure you regularly monitor your own performance. Make notes and review your work against your job specification and any performance related criteria set out by your employer.  Keep any emails from colleagues or clients that have praised your efforts so you can clearly show your manager evidence of your success.
• Remember it’s a two-way street. Both you and your manager need to be clear about what both of you want to get out of the meeting. While your own performance will obviously be discussed you should also aim to address anything that your manager or the company can be doing to enhance your development.
• Show initiative. Have details of your last appraisal with you so you can not only demonstrate how you have progressed, but also illustrate how you have gone the extra mile. Or, if you haven’t met all of your objectives come prepared with reasons and ideas of how you think the company can help you do so in the future. Training, or extra resources, for example.
•  Honesty is the best policy. Even if you are nervous about your appraisal, or worried about bringing up a particular issue you are facing, you must be completely open and honest about how you feel in order to achieve the best outcome. Only then can you expect to develop in your role.
• Stay calm. Even if you receive criticism, stay professional and be prepared to listen. Don’t argue or refute the point – take it on board and suggest ways you might be able to address the issue. The last thing you want is to be seen as someone that can’t take constructive criticism well. And remember if you seriously don’t agree with what is being said you always have the choice to review your position at the company.
• Next steps.  The appraisal shouldn’t stop when the door closes. Leave the meeting with a clear set of actionable steps – it’s your career; it’s up to you to take control of it.

To date, the scheme has included participants from Sony, 20th Century Fox, Trip Advisor, BBC Worldwide, ASOS, Cath Kidston and Turner Broadcasting.  It involves industry professionals offering each other developmental guidance in order to make a real difference to the progression of HR talent within the industry.

The team here at Handle manages all aspects of the scheme, including sourcing and screening participants, providing guidance and training for all parties, facilitating mentoring events and providing the all-important matching service. So if you’re interested in being a future mentee or mentor be sure to get in touch. But before doing so, take a look at feedback from two participants who explain what they have taken from the experience:

Sarah Foll is Learning & Development Director at Sony Pictures Entertainment and here’s what she has to say:

 “I heard of the scheme through a colleague – my functional boss is US based and so being able to have someone outside the company who I could talk to not just about current projects – but also my career development – was really attractive.  Getting the perspective of someone else within the same industry, but external to Sony, to bounce ideas off is really useful.”

And Louisa Fryer is Learning & Development Partner at ASOS, who says of her experience:

  “I found out about the scheme through a colleague as ASOS and thought it was a great way of learning from an experienced and senior HR professional outside my own company who would be able to share a different perspective.  I’ve been able to access work related advice and support from someone who is more experienced but who can also relate to my professional journey so far. It’s great for people who are experiencing new opportunities and challenges in their role and who need extra support during that ‘stretch’ phase.“

To find out more about how mentoring can boost your career; check out the article we wrote on Changeboard.

Minimum cost increase

While the AWR was expected by some to have a significant cost impact, the reality has been very different.  Our own analysis eight weeks after the first agency workers qualified for the AWR showed a cost impact of just 2.62% which mainly reflects the holiday increase.

Handle’s results for the first two months of 2012 reflect this – showing an increase of 16% in temp usage compared to the same period last year.

No silver bullets

Some of our clients have chosen to transfer some temporary workers to fixed term contracts believing this to be the best way of avoiding the AWR legislation.  However, it is important to appreciate that unless there are special circumstances that can be justified, workers employed under a fixed term contract must be treated in exactly the same way as permanent employees including the same pay and conditions. In essence, this means that the outcome is much the same as compliance with the AWR legislation.  Additionally, not renewing a fixed term contract is equivalent to dismissal – consequently, after two years of service; a worker would be entitled to full redundancy rights and from, April 2012, would have statutory protection for unfair dismissal.

Easing the burden – adding value

Agency workers on the other hand can provide a far more flexible resource and while there is a cost element, the key benefits are that all the administration and AWR compliance is dealt with by Handle. It is up to us to ensure that any agency workers we supply receive the rights that they are entitled to – taking the administrative burden away from you.   To facilitate this, Emma Dadswell – Handle’s Business Operations Manager has been conducting compliance audits with our clients to ensure that they are up to speed. We’ve put a system in place which monitors a temp’s accumulated working time, notifies a client when a temp is about to qualify for AWR and then presents the impact of that change to the client.

It is also worth bearing in mind that simply terminating a temporary worker’s assignment at the twelve week qualification point could be construed as wilful avoidance. This is a risky strategy – anti – avoidance clauses within the AWR are very clear.

Client Feedback

We have sought feedback from our clients to get their views on the impact of AWR. Sony Music Entertainment, who has worked with Handle consistently to provide agency workers, has found the legislation positive.  Emma Adler, Head of Resourcing at Sony explained: “Temps are viewed as an important resource for the business – and if there was headcount budget they would be hired on a permanent basis.  We undertook a full audit of our temp usage and the AWR legislation helped to drive our decision making. While some temps, if they had been in post for a long time, were taken on permanently or moved to fixed term contracts, there have been no exits and no restriction of the use of temporary workers.  There haven’t been any budget implications as the average cost increase merely reflected the rise in holiday allowance.  We have also seen some clear benefits from the AWR – for the temps it has meant a reassurance of equal treatment and more rigour around the temporary recruitment process and for the business it has made us look at the temps we have and agree that they are a necessary resource.  The support we had from Handle was extremely useful – the process was clear and it meant that we didn’t have to think about any administrative burden that the new legislation may bring.  My feeling is that companies should embrace the AWR – we are all in the same boat, there is no competitive advantage and temps are a great resource!”

Handle’s thoughts

Brendon, Handle’s Director of Office temps says: “The minimal cost impact does not appear to outweigh the enormous benefits gained.  The compliance audit programme has also had the added benefit of further strengthening Handle’s client relationships. We have all been required to communicate more often to share information – resulting in increased transparency as well as stronger and better partnerships.

Advancements in technology have already had a huge impact on the way we communicate with our friends, colleagues and family. Face-to-face meetings are not always necessary when we can simply Skype someone, use email, or utilise one of the many social media platforms to instantly message one another. However, these new developments have not negated the need to use our voices.  The ability for the actors in The Artist to get their message across to the audience solely through their body language is incredibly impressive, but can this translate from the screen to real life?

There is, of course, no suggestion that we should all stop speaking to one another, relying solely on our body language and technical devices. But what it does reveal is how easy it is – with a little concentration – to read someone’s view by concentrating on their gestures and expressions.  And this is particularly relevant to candidates during interviews. Body language can be very revealing so try to avoid slouching and maintain regular eye contact to demonstrate focus and interest.  This will portray you as an interested and focussed candidate. And take note of an interviewers’ body language – facial expressions can often say  more than the spoken word so watch out for clues which may signify that the interviewer wants to hear more – or conversely has heard enough!

Perhaps the message we can all take from the film is: you can be read a lot easier than many believe to be the case. What’s your view? Let us know by commenting below.

The latest fashion news to catch our eye is the invention of the keyboard trousers.  And this is no joke; a couple of Dutch inventors have developed a pair of jeans which they have named ‘Beauty and the Geek’ – that really do give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘laptop’!

The jeans are equipped with a fully functional keyboard & mouse, and even have speakers integrated into the leg.  What’s more, according to the creators the jeans are ‘only a little bit heavier than your regular jeans’ and ‘that they enable you to log into your computer and control it without sitting in a closed environment behind your desk’.  The catch? The jeans will set you back £250 and that’s assuming they catch the eye of a retailer willing to sell them.

So could this really revolutionise the way we use our computers, or is the idea seemingly as ridiculous as it first appears? Perhaps we are being too judgemental, but the consensus in our office (especially our resident fashionistas) seems to be that they not only look awful, but with advancements in technology allowing consumers to use a number of different platforms – tablets for example – to achieve the same objective, these are certainly not going to be the next big thing to hit the fashion world.

Let us know what you think by commenting below.