Leicestershire has most temps in the East Midlands, says GMB

Leicestershire has the highest number of temporary workers in the East Midlands, according to figures.

Temps make up 15,500 - or 5.9 per cent - of the county’s workforce, the GMB union has found. Leicester has 12,900 agency staff, or seven per cent of those in employment, while Rutland has 400, which is 2.7 per cent.

Overall, there are 101,300 temps in the East Midlands, representing 5.2 per cent of employees in the region.

The figures came from an analysis of the workplace by the GMB to coincide with European Union legislation, which gives temps the same employment rights as permanent staff.

The rights are set to become law by 2012.

Source: Leicester Mercury

Managers told to hold their nerve

Leicestershire companies have been warned that a knee-jerk reaction to the credit crunch could badly damage their long-term prospects.Ian Borley, senior partner at KPMG, in Leicester, said businesses must learn to be nimble, while at the same time reducing costs and increasing cashflow.

It comes after KPMG’s national quarterly business confidence survey found more than half of businesses plan to reduce staff numbers over the coming months, with a similar number set to introduce recruitment freezes.

“While the region’s businesses have remained confident since the credit crunch struck, it now appears we are all in it together and the market is starting to feel the subsequent impact of both the turmoil on the global markets and rising inflation,” said Mr Borley.

“However, it is vital that managers hold their nerve and ensure businesses remain resilient - a knee-jerk reaction could prove disastrous.

“It is one thing to adopt a strategy that will enable you to continue to seek opportunities and grow, and quite another to go round slashing costs just to stand still.

“Managers need to keep one eye on cashflow and cost reduction, while the other should be on seeking out new opportunities - either by developing products or by tapping into new markets.”

Mr Borley said one option for businesses was to look at opportunities in Europe, because the strength of the euro against the pound made UK exports more attractive.

Source: Leicester Mercury

Employers value soft skills over academic results finds research.

Employers value qualities such as team working, good communication skills and the ability to appreciate others’ perspectives above academic qualifications a new study by GRADdirect, has revealed.

The study examined what organisations look for from their graduates and the factors that influence whether a graduate succeeds or fails and found that over half of the organisations surveyed stated that graduate recruitment was key to building a greater pool of candidates available for succession planning and promotion.

Other important findings included: characteristics related to emotional intelligence, such as the ability to appreciate others’ perspectives are seen as highly important to 42 per cent of organisations.

Looking at intellectual capability, graduate recruiters place the greatest emphasis on transferable skills such as the ability to grasp complex information (68 per cent) and to see problems from different angles (50 per cent) rather than an individual’s academic ability, where only 27 per cent saw this as very important for graduates.

Nick Griffin, head of graduate services, commented: “The graduate recruitment process is a huge undertaking and investment for any organisation. With an estimated 185,000 people set to leave college and university this summer, recruiters are faced with the challenge to hire the best graduates who will also have the potential to be future business leaders. In today’s competitive climate and in the face of the escalating war for talent, recruiters have to work harder and smarter to find their ideal candidate.”

source: The Recruitment Consultant Magazine

Spelling gripe - Bad spelling tops employers’ list of CV pet hates

A recent poll from Select Appointments has revealed that misspelt words are top of the chart when it comes to employers’ pet hates.

Select, has lifted the lid on the factors most likely to irritate a potential employer when considering an applicant’s C.V.

Spelling mistakes were by far the biggest pet hate with 54 per cent of employers polled citing this as their biggest irritation. 17 per cent admitted to being annoyed by a bad layout, and 16 per cent said they are turned off if an applicant’s resume is too long.

At the other end of the scale, only 1 in 10 employers identified the use of ‘buzz words’ as a pet gripe.

Nicola Severn, spokesperson for Select, said: “Although it is obvious from the research commissioned by the Spelling Society that many individuals are not as competent at spelling as they would like to be, when constructing a CV attention to detail is vital. Basic spell check facilities are available on the vast majority of modern computers and as such there is no excuse for sloppy spelling. A CV should be seen as a chance to shine. It is a direct reflection of the applicant and if the CV is considered inaccurate or badly organised, there is a danger the applicant will be too.”