Our expertise within the recruitment industry has fortunately brought with it a wealth of advice that we are able to pass on to both candidates and clients, to ensure that we bring talented people together in a timely and effective way; making the recruitment process as pain free as possible!

THE AGENCY offers help and assistance with all aspects of the process - follow our simple and straight forward tips to guide you in the right direction.

Preparation is essential! Without this, you will have less success than your competitors - whether you are recruiting for staff or you are searching for that next golden opportunity up the career ladder.

For further and more in depth advice on salaries and benefits, legislative guidance, interview tips, assistance with redundancy or any other personnel or recruitment matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Here are our hot tips for success... good luck!

• Choose a reputable recruitment agency,

  preferably one that is a member of the REC. All REC members are vetted to ensure that they offer best practice at all times and work towards an equal opportunity and diversity policy. Visit www.rec.co.uk

• Prepare a quality CV

  that is concise, yet comprehensive and to the point and will emphasise your skills, achievements and success to date. The CV should be no longer than 2 pages long and should be simple and appealing to the eye.

• Essential Homework

  - All successful candidates will do their homework well in advance of their interview. They will research the company, prepare standard questions (that can be adjusted to meet the needs of a specific role), plan their interview attire and also plan the route prior to the date of interview. The prepared candidate will also know the job specification well enough to both answer, and ask relevant questions pertaining to the duties and responsibilities of the role.

• The right opportunity

  - Serious job seekers will only attend interviews for positions that they feel are really right for them - so don't feel obliged to attend an interview just for interview practice. The rejection will not help your self esteem and of course it will waste valuable time for both yourself and potential clients.

• Post Interview Assessment

  - be honest with yourself about the interview and make notes as soon as you have left the company in order that you can make a constructive assessment of how the interview went. Do you want the job and if so why? Not sure, then write down the advantages and disadvantages of the role to help you make a firm decision should you be made an offer. Make sure that this information is conveyed back to the client as soon as possible to keep the client interested in your application.

• Remain positive about job hunting

  - Having the right attitude is key to your success at interview. Should you be unlucky the first time, then take time to reflect on how you could improve next time - evaluate your approach to the recruitment process and ask a friend or relative to assist you in areas that maybe need work - for instance, practice a face to face interview with someone you know who will offer constructive criticism and assist you in getting it right next time.

• Choose a reputable recruitment agency,

  preferably one that is a member of the REC. All REC members are vetted to ensure that they offer best practice at all times and work towards an equal opportunity and diversity policy. Visit www.rec.co.uk

• Prepare a comprehensive job/person specification

  - this will assist you in the process by matching potential candidates to the role and department where you have an opportunity available. Even on a temporary basis, this will assist in getting a near perfect match to your requirements. Ensure that the salary is competitive and will attract candidates of the calibre that you require - review your benefits package also. Good candidates seek a good 'all round' package.

• Meet with your agency

  to ensure that they fully understand what you are looking for and where possible ask them to spend time with the department to glean a fuller understanding of the working role. Give a clear picture about how much training will be given to the successful candidate both on and off the job.

• Allocate a specific day purely for interviewing

  - this will help you to remember the selection of candidates that you have interviewed and will assist in bringing the vacancy to a close and an offer being made - good candidates are in short supply and your efficient and timely processes will attract quality candidates.

• Feedback to your agency

  , both positive and negative will assist them in their plight to find the right person for the position - it will also assist those candidates who have been unsuccessful with their next interview and give them food for thought in where they could look to improve.

• Offer letters and contracts of employment

  need to be sent as soon as possible to maintain the candidates' interest in the job offer and your company. Many candidates have a notice period to work and will not hand this in until they have confirmation in writing. Make this a priority.

• New employees need to be made to feel welcome

  - Especially temporary staff who may work at different companies every week - take time to introduce new staff and explain where everything is and of course who the boss is! Make sure that you review at the end of the first day their progress and how they feel they are settling in - this could make all the difference to their first impressions of your business.