Why employers are really not hiring – CMI report

A new report recently published by the Chartered Management Institute challenges employers’ claims that recruitment is hampered by a skills shortage. An article in the Telegraph newspaper looks at the report’s findings, which in particular says that ‘six in 10 employers admit they are turning away perfectly good candidates because they cannot afford to hire them.” A shortage of the right skills mix was also given by employers in the research, although Christopher Kinsella, acting chief executive of the CMI, discusses how employers should look at the packages that they are offering to attract the right candidates in the first place. In a business environment where it is not always possible to offer large salary increases, Mr Kinsella said, “we urge employers to look to non-financial methods of rewarding good employees or risk losing them.” For more details about the CMI report read the full article here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9212312/Do-skills-shortages-really-exist-when-so-many-people-are-out-of-work.html

Speaking like a native – do language skills matter?

The ability to speak French, German or even Mandarin may be a valuable skill but you are a much stronger candidate with additional experience or qualifications to complement your language ability. This is one of the conclusions from the Guardian Careers Q&A session recently – “Will language skills help you stand out in the job market?” Readers put questions to experts such as the admissions officer from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, a professor of French and the managing director of Rosetta Stone. Advice to language graduates was often to make sure they developed complementary skills during or after their first degree. The advantages that languages skills do give you are described as “increased cultural awareness, or even improved mental dexterity through being able to think in two languages…also demonstrable communication skills - both in your first and second languages.” For a very comprehensive debate and advice read the article at http://careers.guardian.co.uk/language-skills-job-market

Gloucestershire celebrates Apprenticeships Awards

Congratulations to Tom Silvey, winner of the Diamond Jubilee Outstanding Apprentice of the Year at last week’s first Gloucestershire Apprenticeships Awards. Tom, 23, is an engineering apprentice at engineering and metrology specialists, Renishaw, and received his award from guest of honour, The Princess Royal. There were 12 awards presented during the evening at the event, organized by The Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo. Awards covered sectors such as construction, financial and business and engineering and manufacturing. Employers of the year for their support of apprenticeship schemes were Target Public Relations, Messier- Bugatti-Dowty and EDF Energy. In a report on the ‘This is Gloucestershire’ website, ’ Ian Mean, editor of the Citizen, said, “Gloucestershire companies and organisations have now recruited more apprentices than any other part of the South West. I think that is a brilliant achievement.” To read more about how Gloucestershire are recruiting and developing apprentices, see the full article here http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Royal-approval-Gloucestershire-Apprenticeships/story-15725509-detail/story.html

What is an interview panel really looking for?

A good degree, a positive attitude or a firm handshake? What are recruiters really considering when interviewing candidates, particularly for professional and graduate positions? According to an article in HR magazine, reviewing the results of a study of 2000 recruiters, many employers consider ‘personal attributes’ more important than a degree because having a degree is taken as
standard. The research, carried out by Aldi, found that, understandably, confidence was the top characteristic mentioned, with 56% of recruiters also looking for a spread of outside interests. More unusual statistics were those on the importance of a good handshake – cited by 12% of respondents. And don’t just be polite to the interviewer, the survey found that more than 25% said ‘they judged potential staff on whether they were polite to reception, security and cleaning staff.’ For more advice on how to impress your next interview panel, read the full article
at http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1072597/employers-view-degree-recruiting-aldi