Growth: a double-edged sword?

Growth: a double-edged sword?

 

Economic data from around the world seems to indicate that the global economy has turned a corner in its recovery. The UK experienced the fastest pace of growth in three years in 2013. A rise in employment, lower government borrowing and low inflation also indicate that the economy may have returned to steady growth.

In the GCC, GDP’s rose by between four to five per cent in most countries. The UAE and KSA have earmarked hundreds of billion of dollars for infrastructure development and by almost every measure, the economies of the region are growing quickly: retail, construction, financial services, automotive, oil and gas, renewables – the list goes on.

Such growth poses good and bad news for the PR industry. The good news is that PR – as one of the least expensive forms of marketing – bounces back quickly. Throughout 2013 PR consultancies grew busier and the number of vacancies grew in both the UK and the Middle East. We expect this trend to gather pace in 2014. The bad news is that it has become harder for PR consultancies and client-side PR departments to find the talent they need – particularly in specialist areas such as oil and gas, technology, healthcare or financial services.

Whilst there are still more applicants than vacancies, it is often the case that the best practitioners in the UK and Middle East have been tied in to their existing employees or simply chosen to knuckle down and avoid the risk of moving jobs.

2014 may prove to be a milestone year when the PR industry grows – but also a year when it faces the challenges of a double-edged sword: new clients, bigger budgets and a scramble for talent.

 

 

Justin Kent - Managing Director

The calm before the Expo storm

The calm before the Expo storm

It is with a sense of cautious optimism that I look ahead to the next few years of growth in Dubai. The city’s leaders undoubtedly have the vision and resources to deliver an Expo that could be the best yet – but does this city have the skills?

 

The amount of change that Dubai is going to experience during the next seven years cannot – and should not – be underestimated. Several weeks ago Dubai announced that it has earmarked $129 billion for infrastructure development between now and 2030 and a significant portion of that will be invested in DWC, the site of Expo 2020.

The pace of growth will have a myriad of knock-on effects across every aspect of Dubai’s economy. There will be the need for many more hotels to support the growth in tourism. The city will need more real estate – commercial, retail and residential. The number of tourists is set to double between now and 2020, which means the city needs to rapidly ramp up the amount of retail space. Some commentators suggest that Dubai needs to double the number of malls that it already has.

PR and advertising agencies are going to become inundated with RFP’s. Anybody in communications in Dubai knows this. We are all looking forward to strong growth, bigger budgets and a slew of exciting projects to work on. It will not be long, however, before hiring managers are pulling their hair out. There always has been a fight for the very best talent in this region, particularly in corporate communications.

PR firms have the greatest challenge because westerners – primarily the British - dominate the PR industry in Dubai. There is likely to be an immediate demand for Account Managers – the grafters who get the coverage and write the stories. Over time we will see a need for more senior people as agencies struggle to handle the growth that their agencies are experiencing.

The good news is that there will now be many more opportunities here in Dubai than in the UK, which means we are likely to see an upturn in applications. However, if London’s economy starts to boom again – and there are signs that it may well do – then this will make Dubai’s job even harder. It is good news for those that do decide to come here – but PR agencies will need to work hard to attract and retain the very best people.

 

Winning Expo 2020 is excellent news – but servicing it isn’t going to be easy.

 

 

 

Justin Kent - Managing Director

Testing times for hiring managers

Testing times for hiring managers

 

Hiring a new PR practitioner is difficult. Good PR’s are great at telling a story (well, they should be) so it has always been important to conduct robust interviews that put candidates through their paces. That’s what good recruitment consultancies do and it should be how they earn their fees.

Getting it right is, however, more important now and arguably more difficult. Supply and demand dictates that candidates try harder and tight recruitment budgets mean that organisations are more cautious than in the boom years. Making a mistake is costly. Filtering through a recruitment consultancy that you trust is more important than ever before but relying on interviews is not always enough. Personality profiling is increasingly seen as an integral part of the hiring process.

Candidates often don’t like these profiling processes. There is a natural fear of ‘failing’ what is often thought to be a test. Well, they aren’t tests. They provide a highly accurate assessment of what makes the person tick: how do they work as part of a team? What motivates them? How do they respond to various management styles? Do they get easily bored? The results of these profiles are eerily accurate. And they are becoming increasingly invaluable in putting together teams and hiring the right kind of person for the job.　
Justin Kent - Managing Director

All eyes on Qatar

All eyes on Qatar

 

Qatar is the richest nation on the planet. It processes fifteen percent of the world’s gas reserves. Its government has been aggressively investing in infrastructure and is working towards diversifying its economy. It is experiencing a boom in construction that is providing jobs for hundreds of thousands of expat workers from around the world.

In July, international property services company DTZ issued its second quarter review of the Qatari real estate market, concluding, "Robust economic and population growth continues to drive demand for real estate across all asset classes."

This is superb news for the PR industry. All of the world’s major PR firms have their sights and investment budgets set on Qatar. London’s Blue Rubicon has launched its first Middle East office in Qatar this year and the majority of the established GCC players are there. The opportunities for PR practitioners are plentiful. Those with expertise in natural resources or corporate and financial PR should be thinking about Qatar as a career move. The nation’s success in winning the World Cup bid for 2022 and its focus on investing in the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors means that there is also an increasing demand for consumer PR practitioners too.

Justin Kent - Managing Director

Dubai deserves Expo 2012

Dubai deserves Expo 2012

 

For months the phrase ‘Expo 2020’ has been seen on street corners, highway billboards and inside malls around Dubai.

 

The World Expo is one of the world’s biggest events in terms of its ability to deliver a lasting economic and cultural impact on the host city. Dubai is a front-runner for the World Expo 2020, competing against Brazil, Russia, Thailand and Turkey.

There is a strange feeling in Dubai that it will win. The city is in great shape – it has a truly world-class infrastructure. It has been ranked as having the 34^th best infrastructure in the world by the Mercer City Infrastructure Ranking – the only Middle East city to appear in the list. It beats Madrid, Melbourne, Geneva, Brussels and many more. In 2013 the government of Dubai allocated 35 percent of its budget for further infrastructure investment. The economy and recent surge in jobs growth also puts Dubai in pole position.

The government of Dubai announced in December 2012 that it would increase public spending by six percent in 2013 whilst also bringing down its deficit to below 0.5 per cent. The figures are impressive. Besides the statistics, the fact is that Dubai ‘feels’ right. It has a strong message of optimism. It is attracting world-class talent, foreign direct investment and it is increasingly seen as a major player in the development of renewables. It is a force to be reckoned with.　 The fact that the sun always shines also helps.

 

Dubai has worked hard to shake off its economic troubles. It has rebounded quickly. It’s a superb place to live, a safe place to raise children and a place that offers better job security than the struggling economies of the west. Dubai is a rare find in these difficult economic times – confident, established and growing at a steady and sustainable rate. It’s a great place to build a career and it deserves to win the Expo 2020.

 

 

Justin Kent - Managing Director

The key to economic success? Sunshine

"It’s the economy weather, stupid."

I have the key to economic success. Whilst George Osborne hurries around Downing Street pulling levers and trying to squeeze pennies from taxpayers, it has suddenly become patently obvious to me what the answer is: sunshine.

After several miserable summers dogged by constant rain, grey skies and consistently negative economic news; all of a sudden the UK’s economy has jumped by 0.7 percent in Q2 of 2013. Is it pure coincidence that the UK has had its best summer for years and now house prices are skyrocketing and unemployment is dropping? Look back to the winter of 2009 – the start of the recent cold winters – the economy nosedived by 0.5 percent. So my theory scientifically is: good weather = GDP+. Bad weather = GDP-.

Economists and the media also support my theory. The Guardian recently reported that retail sales grew by 1.1 percent as shoppers ran to shops in their thousands to buy arm loads of sun cream and bikinis. Now, if we could only create a new bikini-making industry we could create thousands of jobs and really get the economy moving. One thing is for sure – the gorgeous British weather is already creating more jobs in the world of PR!

So there it is – it’s official. The key to economic success is sunshine. Now I just need to work out what is happening with the weather in Greece and Spain…

Tim Court - Director

　

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Your career prospects for 2013

2013 could be a defining year!

 

The Good

If the Eurozone settles and allows for a pick up in confidence, then all that money sitting on company balance sheets could start to be invested and we could see a real and exciting upturn in the global economy. Companies around the world have plenty of money to invest, they have been lean since the crash in 2008 and have increased cash reserves as a result. Upturns in economies are driven by the private not public sector, so if confidence returns then we can expect significant growth in the job market and potentially a global explosion of demand for talent.　

 

The Bad

Carrying on as we are and maintaining the wait and see status quo will make an already slow market even worse. Career opportunities will slip away dramatically. As we have seen in 2012, the majority of organisations are recruiting only to replace, few are making investment hires. The fewer the number of jobs available the less the general public is likely to spend, making companies invest even less as they see and consequently contribute to an ever shrinking economy. This is all well reported in the newspapers of course but it makes the reality of the status quo quite frightening.

The Ugly

In plain terms the ugly is a collapse in the Euro, with either Greece dropping out of the bottom or Germany popping out of the top. The latter being the lesser of two evils in the opinion of many economists. Either solution will cause a complete collapse and run on the markets and banks, which will affect every economic zone in the world, no-one will escape.　 Ironically it could see the world pick up quickly again as countries can devalue and throw off their shackles, but the initial fallout will not just wipe out career opportunities it will lead to a swathe of job losses across the world. A desperate scenario.

 

So which way 2013 will go is anybody’s guess. Our prediction is somewhere between the good and the bad. We see no movement in Europe, modest growth in the Middle East and solid growth in the Far East. Career opportunities are out there for skilled individuals and we are now talking to more and more people looking to leave Europe to further their careers. The youth of Europe is very much on the move. After a century of settled populations we are back to an era where people will move to where the work is and populations once again become fully mobile through job migration.

 

Justin Kent - Managing Director

Why good grammar is still ‘bang tidy’

What on earth has become of us? Amazeballs, oojamaflip and frape are just three of thirteen new additions to the dictionary - http://t.co/wDdWEJes.

I must confess, if I speak to people in their early twenties there are times when I question whether I need a formal translator. Where I would describe someone as a great laugh, the youth of today might say they are “bare jokes.”

Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Increasingly I am seeing CVs which contain grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.

How you write can say a lot about you and your abilities. No matter how qualified you are the lack of attention you pay to drafting and editing your CV can be your downfall. Poor grammar, typographical mistakes, and incorrect or weak vocabulary can get your job application rejected just as easily as the lack of relevant skills or experience. Silly mistakes say to an employer that you might be uneducated, lazy, or in a hurry and didn’t give the CV the proper attention it deserves. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re. With the advent of mobile texting and social network sites some people have forgotten that there are certain rules when writing professionally.

I’m sure we have all heard stories about CVs being ripped up and thrown in the bin without being looked at for more than ten seconds. The reason we’ve heard these stories is that they are true.
Granted, putting together a CV is often something that people do in more of a rush than they’d like. Equally, I am here to try to catch those mistakes before they are passed on to potential employers. But when it comes down to it the message is clear: your CV is supposed to be polished and formal. If it has not been written, read and edited properly you will be putting yourself at an immediate disadvantage.

That is most definitely not fandabidozi.

Tim Court - Director

Creative Day at the Olympics

Today, July 31st 2012 – is Creative Day at London 2012.  No it’s not a new sport, it is a themed business summit organised by UK Trade & Investment which is designed to bring foreign investment into the UK.

This is one of 18 such summits being held during the games and Nick Baird, UK CEO of UKTI says it will bring in £1bn of investment during the period of the Olympics and Paralympics and £13bn over the next four years.  Great news and hats off to those involved, though I’m sure our media will treat them with a degree of cynicism.

This push for inward investment is exactly what the country needs and this positive drive for new business is exactly what UK plc should be doing.  After all it’s what the private sector does day in and day out.  Recognition for our world leading creative industry is also welcome.

If future governments of whichever colour can now simplify our tax system, reduce red tape on small businesses and encourage employment for both permanent and temporary staff then we really could develop a confident and vibrant country.  But do any of today’s politicians really strike you as courageous leaders with the strength to really change the way our country works? Or will they be blinded like so many, by party and not national interests.

Justin Kent - Managing Director

A View from the City

So, Bob Diamond and Marcus Agius of Barclays have both now resigned as Chief Executive and Chairman respectively.  It is not a huge surprise to anyone who has been following developments at 1 Churchill Place recently.  With shares in Barclays having taken a beating since the end of last month, the announcements have clearly appeased the markets somewhat, with shares recovering slightly, up just under 3% this morning (03.07.12).  There was also significant pressure exerted at the top from both Westminster and “Fleet Street” so it was inevitable that something had to give and it seems that everyone has now got what they want.

Is it actually good news? In the short term, this is another punch to the jaw to the reputation of the already wobbling financial services industry, which is now on the ropes and needing the bell – and rightly so.  Fixing the inter-bank (LIBOR) lending rate is pretty low and one wonders what other skeletons will emerge from the closets of other institutions in the Square Mile and Canary Wharf.  When people in the street are desperate for a ray of sunshine, both metaphorically and literally, this is a further blight on the banking industry, which is fast becoming the pantomime villain of modern life.

Long term however, this may prove a watershed moment – surely tighter regulation will come, even if it is after the horse has bolted. What an opportunity it also represents for our beloved industry to further cement itself at the top table, and moreover for corporate communications as a function to repair the reputation of what is such a crucial sector to UK plc.  For that, the banks need to make sure that their communications teams are robust and best in class, and judging by some of the recent key hires we have seen, I have faith that they are in good shape long term.

As Nick Robinson put it this morning, LIBOR will be to banking what the Millie Dowler case was to phone hacking.  Let’s hope so.

Recruitment – the hardest job in the world?

I was watching television this weekend when a sports pundit asserted that a premier league manager had "...the hardest job in the world." Not half an hour later I heard the exact same phrase, this time as a descriptor for one of horse racing’s leading jockeys. It made me realise how many times I’ve heard people say this across all walks of life, and how daft those statements are. For starters getting paid to play sport can’t possibly qualify as a hardship. Secondly I’d have thought that those working in the likes of bomb disposal, fire fighting and heart surgery would hold more compelling claims to the title. Furthermore, if Vernon Kaye were to pose the question to 100 people in the street in all seriousness I wouldn’t mind betting that "being a mum" would be the top answer.

So, when someone commented to me this week that recruitment must be the hardest job in the world, I advised them accordingly. Yet it got me thinking, whilst recruitment can be very rewarding, it is undoubtedly a hard job.

Many people get into recruitment because they’ve been told it’s possible to make good money. And it’s fair to say the rewards can be attractive for delivery quality work. Yet the statistics show that around a third of new hires will leave the industry within their first year. Recruitment isn’t rocket science, you don’t sit at a desk unable to answer tricky questions. So what’s the problem?

In our view there are recruitment consultants and there are recruitment agents. The job I’m referring to here is that of a recruitment consultant. The priority for consultants is to build trusting relationship with candidates and clients in order to best satisfy the needs of both parties. If you do that well, the results will follow. Agents, conversely, care very little about the quality of service they provide. For them it is all about hitting KPIs and that inevitably involves cutting as many corners as possible. In my personal experience, both from my time at Fabric and also my PR days, true recruitment consultants are a rare breed. For every one good recruitment consultant there are a dozen bad recruitment agents. Little surprise, therefore, that the overall reputation of the recruitment industry isn’t overly positive and you’re facing an uphill battle before you’ve even started.
 
In recruitment there is nowhere to hide. Most recruiters leave their job because they are unable to hit their targets. They are either fired or jump before being pushed. That would imply it’s a cut-throat, pressurised world where only the hardest-nosed survive. It is relentless for sure, but cut-throat isn’t an accurate description. The real pressure in recruitment comes from the fact that we do not produce what we sell, yet we are constantly under pressure from clients to deliver the best quality product – i.e. the candidate. Add to that the fact that internally our performance is up there in black and white for all to see. We simply have to deliver tangible results day after day, week after week, year after year. The more we slip behind the curve the more the pressure grows. We don’t want to let the team down but most of all we know we risk becoming a cost to the company. Coasting isn’t an option because recruitment is about ‘all or nothing’.

 good recruitment consultant will be an expert at handling a myriad of variables including clients, candidates and HRs. In itself that is true of a number of occupations of course. However recruiting is uniquely demanding, and consequently frustrating, as it is the only industry that I am aware of where the ‘product’ in question can stop a deal from happening. If you want to buy a car, and the dealer has set a price which you’re happy with, you take that car. The car can not turn round and say "I don’t want this to happen". As a recruitment consultant we can spend months on a job, agree an offer which everyone seems happy with, and then be reduced to a blubbering wreck as the candidate decides he or she doesn’t want to go ahead. We have done nothing wrong, it’s not our fault the deal hasn’t been done. We’ve left no stone unturned, worked flat out, given excellent consultancy to all parties throughout and acted with skill and sensitivity. Yet we’ve got absolutely nothing to show for that time and effort. There is no time for sympathy, we simply have to get back on the horse and start from scratch again. Now imagine that has just happened for the third time in as many weeks. Frankly the whole thing can be soul destroying.


In my view people can’t understand what impact this all-or-nothing model has until they have tasted it. Firstly, bear in mind that basic salaries in recruitment are relatively low, as this is an incentive-based industry. Secondly, consider that the vast majority of work we do is known as ‘contingency recruitment’ – in simple terms there are no retainers and we only get a fee upon the successful placement of a candidate. We all work to ratios – for example the ratio of candidates CVs forwarded to a job to those then shortlisted for interview, those interviewed to invited for a second interview, those re-interviewed to offered, and those offered to placed. The ratios of CVs forwarded to placements will vary from consultant to consultant, with a ‘consultant’ having a much lower ratio than an ‘agent’ (see above). However what this all means is that as recruiters we do a huge amount of high quality work which essentially goes to waste, no tangible results at all. Worse still, the effort we’ve put in means very little. There may be some sympathy from a client or our boss in the short term, but ultimately this is a results business and that sentiment soon evaporates. Keeping yourself motivated against this backdrop isn’t easy. Pushing it all to the back of the mind and performing constantly at a high level is nothing short of demanding.
 

The recession years that we are experiencing have been painful for everyone but they have given rise to opportunities as well. Poor quality recruitment ‘agents’ who might have survived in a boom market have either been forced out altogether or resorted to increasingly underhand practices. It is something which blights our industry but in the long run it isn’t sustainable. The best recruiters have built relationships where they are seen by clients and candidates as a service, not a product. If we work with intelligence, integrity and deliver exceptional consultancy we grow relationships with the best people in our industry, to the point that a high volume of our business comes from referrals and recommendations. To my mind there is no better feeling than finding someone the ideal role or the ideal candidate and quite simply that’s the best way to succeed in what is a highly pressurised job.

Tim Court - Director

Which job is right for me?

When you are reviewing jobs from agencies, job boards or trade magazine adverts, how do you decide which opportunities to apply for?  It is tempting to look for impressive job titles, well known brand names and high salaries – but are those good indicators of a job you’ll enjoy?

To be able to effectively sift through all the jobs available, first of all you need to spend a bit of time on yourself.  If you spend some time reflecting on your own values, what motivates you, and what gives you satisfaction at work, then you will be able to look beyond the flashy headlines to assess the job itself more effectively.

If you are to fit comfortably into an organisation and feel energised and motivated to work there and give your best, then you need to be sure that their organisational values are a good match to yours.  If they operate on the ‘make the most profit at any cost’ principle, while you gain satisfaction from going the extra mile to give great service, you are likely to find your natural inclinations at odds with their operating policy much of the time.  Likewise, if you are driven to earn the highest bonus while they place most emphasis on customer care, you are likely to feel impatient with their slower pace of life quite frequently.

Perhaps you are motivated by receiving praise and recognition in front of your peers for a job well done?  Check whether a prospective firm offers internal award schemes.  Perhaps getting a promotion is important to you?  Find out what their internal career development and appraisal process is like. 

Think about what aspects of your current and past jobs have given you greatest satisfaction – that ‘wow’ factor of a job really well done.  Was it presenting a stunning campaign, hearing from a client about positive effects of the work you’ve done with them, or learning new skills so you’re ready to tackle something more challenging?  How many of these satisfying activities would a new job involve? 

Having thought through all the aspects of a job and an organisation that will make it right for you allows you to frame the right questions to ask of your recruiter, to look for in adverts and job descriptions, and to ask at job interviews.  Armed with this more in-depth information you will be able to make a better decision when it comes to which job to apply for – and which offer to accept.

A View from the City: Salaries set fair for 2012

On the 24th January, Fabric hosted A View from the City, an informal networking event for corporate and financial communicators. It represented a chance for delegates to network and take part in a debate with industry leading figures on the challenges facing corporate communicators in 2012.

The panel consisted of Alex Sandberg, Chairman of College Hill; Victoria Brough, Group Communications Director of London Stock Exchange; Paul Harris, Senior Financial Press Officer at HSBC and Tim Ledeboer, Head of Corporate & Financial at Fabric.

Among some of the many discussion points which created a lively debate, was the key area of remuneration and benefits vs. job security.

Most in the room were in agreement that whilst salaries are, in general, weathering the downturn and in fact showing a slight uplift in some cases, candidates are realistic about what is on offer. There was a meeting of minds between employers and employees as to the key motivating factors when job seekers weigh up their next opportunity – principally job security and career progression, alongside the financial gain.

Salary snapshot in Financial PR consultancies 2012

If you are interested in hearing more about A View from the City, or to arrange a meeting to discuss in person how our expertise and experience could be of value to your business, please contact Tim Ledeboer on:

+44 (0)20 7734 0441

or

tim.ledeboer@fabricrecruitment.com

A View from the City

Happy New year to all of you!

January 2012 sees the launch of Fabric’s A View from the City, a series of informal networking events aimed at corporate and financial communicators.

Our first event of the year is taking place at Balls Brothers, Lime St on the evening of 24^th January. 

We have an expert panel of industry leaders talking about their vision for 2012 before we open up the debate to the floor. It promises to be an interesting and enjoyable event and gives everyone an opportunity to network with your peers in an informal setting.

If you are interested in attending or finding out more about the event, please contact me on tim.ledeboer@fabricrecruitment.com or 020 7734 0441

Tim Ledeboer - Associate Director, Corporate & Financial

A view from the City

How heart warming to see that in these times of riots, protests, countries on the brink of bankruptcy and Frankie Cocozza (!) that the PR industry has such a great wave of talent coming through. The recent PR Week 29 under 29 (11.11.11) showed off the cream of the crop and it was great to see the future stars emerging.

Whilst I am all for celebrating the achievements of these undeniably excellent young professionals, I wonder whether it actually goes far enough.

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments Alex Sandberg, Chairman and Founder of College Hill shared in the last issue of PR Week (18.11.11), which for a number of reasons is well worth a read (including tales of him seeing Hendrix live in Covent Garden). For me, what resonated most was the passion and fire which still burns inside after all these years and the fact he is still so hungry for success for both his business and the industry as a whole. "On a good day, the best agencies are as good as any professional service because we can add huge value. Some of the planet’s best brains work in PR and I sometimes wonder whether we are proud enough of what we do," said Sandberg.

I couldn’t agree more. In my experience, comms people as a whole are an underrated breed and too often underrate themselves. Industry leaders are singing our praises and UK plc sees the value of effective communications so why don’t we?

Taking that point to the next level, should we as an industry celebrate talent (young or otherwise) across the board and shout about the best in Consumer, the best in City PR and the best in Healthcare for instance? If we are going to do it, let’s do it properly.

One of the joys of my job is that I see how many great comms professionals there are and contrary to popular belief, there are also plenty of jobs around. Whilst there is an undeniable risk aversion that continues to pervade amongst employers, there are still many agency and in-house roles which are yet to be filled and are there waiting for candidates with the requisite skills...they just might take longer deciding on the right one! I therefore maintain that whilst there will be significant challenges next year, there will be a good pipeline of opportunities out there for us all.

And don’t get me started on Cocozza!

Tim Ledeboer - Associate Director, Corporate & Financial

AWR - Agency Worker Regulations

The Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) have caused quite a stir of late. For good or bad they come into effect on 1 October 2011 and have certainly divided opinion across the industry.

This EU directive seeks to ensure equality between those workers supplied through an agency and those recruited directly by hirers, and it seems there is little that can stop it from being implemented. Such new equality rights may seem incredulous to some during these times of economic hardship, but to gain perspective it is important to remember those people working in sectors of the economy that don’t feature in PRWeek, the Financial Times or the weekly glossies. These are the people to whom these regulations will make the most difference.

For the most part in the digital, marketing and PR industries, agency worker rates of pay are at least on a par with, and frequently superior to, those of their directly recruited comparators. Therefore with AWR being focused on the issue of equality, clients needn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and decide not to use agency workers at all. That said, ignoring or flouting the regulations can’t lead to anything good either. The focus needs to be on working with your recruitment partners to ensure compliance and finding the best way of going forward.
　
At Fabric we’ve been speaking to our clients for the last few weeks to ensure that everyone is aware of the regulations and working with us towards full compliance. As part of this process, and in consultation with the REC and senior figures in employment law, we’ve put together a guide - An Insight to AWR - which breaks down the AWR and demystifies it all. If you would like to discuss anything AWR related and see how Fabric can work with you to ensure a transition that is as smooth as possible, do get in touch.
 
Jody Dunn - Freelance Consultant

On & Offline Marketing: Job Market Update

Talk about unpredictable! 2011 has been an unusual and changeable year for jobhunters in London, so it seemed a good idea to give an overview of the marketing job market as it is at the moment.

 

Here is what we have been seeing over the past month or so:

• Salary levels are sluggish. I have been in marketing recruitment for many years and am usually able to accurately guess salaries. No longer! I am seeing a slight year on year decrease in some areas, particularly for broad marketing roles.
• Large international brands appear more optimistic than our smaller clients – we have had a relatively high volume of new roles from our global clients.
• Interesting roles = high competition. Jobhunters are cautious, so are only pursuing their ideal jobs. This is causing intense competition for the more creative and strategic client-side roles.
• Technical skills rule! We have been able to secure significant pay rises for candidates with specialist technical skills which are in demand (yes, search marketers, I mean you....).
• Feedback from clients is slow. Not unusual for this time of year, so don’t take it personally...
• B2B acquisition roles (on and offline) have been our most common new role whilst we have been quieter on the brand marketing side.

 

Most importantly, things change week by week so it has proved difficult to predict patterns and trends. Whilst the market certainly isn’t near its 2007 peak, there are some exciting current vacancies.

 

If you are thinking of looking for a new role, or would like a bit more insight in to the types of roles out there, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Tom Lakin, Head of Marketing Recruitment, Fabric

When is the right time to interview?

It may appear obvious – when you are losing interest in your current role, no longer learning or dreading going in to work – it’s time to get your CV out there and start interviewing.

However, it has struck me a number of times recently whilst interviewing candidates that they have simply got the timing wrong.

Interviewing too early is common at the moment.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself: 

-          Have you really reached your potential in your current role?

-          Have you examined opportunities within your current organisation?

-          Have you achieved what you set out to achieve when you joined?

-          Are your motives to move temporary – e.g. quiet time in your sector, overworked whilst colleagues are recruited etc

Make sure your CV remains strong by not moving jobs every 12 months.  Conversely, don’t leave it too long.  I interviewed a delightful candidate some time ago – lovely, bright and great experience – but who HATED her current role.  Our conversation often came back to the negatives of her current job.   A real shame she hadn’t contacted me six months earlier. 

Worth remembering - talking badly about your current or most recent job is like going on a first date and launching in to a monologue about your charmless ex... 

A common mistake, when things are not going so well, is to write a new CV and apply for lots of jobs.  We would recommend at least attempting to address the issues in your current job before looking for a new one – you will be far more confident, be proud of your achievements and your enthusiasm will shine through. 

Is the time right for you?  If so, email me at tom.lakin@fabricrecruitment.com   

- Tom Lakin, Marketing Division

“My experience speaks for itself – why should I waste time on my CV?”

This is a question I have just been asked.  The gentleman in question is indeed an excellent candidate – very well-placed for a number of exciting and challenging roles.

However, even in areas where there is a skills shortage, it really does pay to step back and take an objective look at your CV.  So often, as our career progresses, we simply add a paragraph or two to our previous CV.  This can be fine, but the marketing industry evolves so fast that one is likely to need to place emphasis on different skill sets at different times and for different opportunities. 

It is easy to argue that CVs are merely a tool to secure interviews.  However, as a marketer, your CV highlights ‘brand you’ – so it deserves more than a little love! 

CVs are subjective but here are a few pointers to bear in mind:

-          Set out your CV in a structured, consistent and clear manner

-          Your CV is likely to be read on screen initially so avoid a text-heavy format which is difficult to read

-          Avoid unnecessary details (photo, religion, date of birth etc)

-          Include a brief personal statement but avoid vague comments such as “work well in a team or autonomously”

-          Use a reverse chronological order format

-          Don’t make assumptions.  It may be obvious to you that social media is a core part of your role but make sure you specify that on your CV, particularly if your CV is being initially assessed by HR

-          CVs should be 2-3 pages

-          Proof your CV, the majority of CVs include typos or inconsistencies – make sure yours doesn’t!

If you are considering a new on or offline marketing role and would like Fabric to assist with your search to find an agency or client-side role or feel that you would benefit from some career consultancy, please do get in touch. 

tom.lakin@fabricrecruitment.com   Fabric Marketing

Freedom of Information Requests Valid via Twitter

The Information Commissioner’s Office has ruled that requests submitted via Twitter are valid FoI requests, so long as the requesters real name is available.  This could be in the Twitter ‘handle’ itself (eg in the same way that mine is @NicolaFranklin), or it would be equally valid if it were in the person’s Twitter profile page. 

The statement on the ICO website explains that an authority has a duty to check for tweets mentioning its corporate twitter account:  “...whether a request in a tweet that only refers to an authority in an @mention, for example @ICOnews, is really directed to and received by that authority. The ICO's view is that it is.  Twitter allows the authority to check for @mentions of itself, and so it has in effect received that request.”

The lesson is – if a public body has a Twitter account – check the ‘mentions’ tab frequently and ensure there is a mechanism in place to refer requests for information to your FoI team.

- Nicola Franklin