Guest Blog: The Top 10 Irritating Things We See on CVs

Let’s face it, recruiters get a hard time.  The industry battles with bad press, a perception that it’s all about fees and we’re in the pub by lunchtime on a Friday. If only! It’s more like a plate-spinning marathon, juggling the client’s wish list against the deluge of candidate applications.  Some of these CVs and applications can range from entertaining to frustrating to downright baffling.

ISV Software asked the Recruitment and HR industry* to share the most irritating things you see on CVs. Here are the Top 10 howlers (now can someone just tell the candidates!) 

•  Spelling and Grammar Errors – far and away the most popular gripe. It shows lack of attention and time spent on the document. Favourites include a candidate who had worked at ‘Goldman Sucks’ and, from a TEAM discussion on LinkedIn earlier this year, a candidate who interacted well with ‘steakholders’.
• Photos – anyone for candidate’s holiday snaps, their wedding photo or adopting the ‘Hire me- I’m very professional’ pose?

• Cheesy phrases that add nothing of value – how many candidates have “excellent interpersonal skills” or “work well on their own and as part of a team”? What does this really tell you?
• Dear Sir - or Mr when you’re a woman and vice versa, this was even more contentious when the candidate has access to your name. Although one contributor was addressed as ‘Lady’ which they thought put a new spin on the introduction.
• Obscure formatting – different fonts, line spacing, random capitalisation… Not only does this make the CV look like a ‘cut and paste’ job, it makes it difficult to extract the relevant information.
• Lack of quantifiable achievements - candidates who simply churn out their job spec rather than outlining contributions make the job so much harder.
• Irrelevant information or experience – a waitress applying for a procurement role, a credit controller going for a PR job… why? If there are relevant skills, the CV should be tailored to highlight these. If not, then don’t waste our time!
• Generic cover notes – a template cover letter or email taken from the internet. You’ve seen them before and they get pretty tiresome. Plus they sometimes make you wonder if the candidate has read the job spec at all!
• Gaps in employment – you’ll spot them a mile away and are going to ask the question. It would be handy if the candidate could just address this from the outset.
• Too much or incorrect personal information – date of birth, marital status, religious beliefs; it’s all information that needs deleting before the CV can be submitted to the client. Worse still, out of service phone numbers or old emails so you can’t make contact.

*information gained from social media polls and discussion groups including the TEAM LinkedIn Group.

Amanda Davies

Sales & Marketing Director

ISV Group

Guest Blog: ‘Are you starting to supply or do you supply temporary workers ?’

For many years, it was an accepted industry practice that recruiters would supply labour to hirers using their own terms and conditions. These terms were generally based on the REC “model” standard terms and conditions and in it, from an insurance perspective, the recruiter tells the hirer that he doesn’t accept responsibility for negligent acts, errors and omissions of the worker supplied.

Providing the recruiter has sourced and supplied the right person for the job, then it is up to the hirer to make sure that the agency worker is doing his job to the hirers satisfaction.

Where the hirer insists his terms and conditions are used rather than the recruiter then the hirer may be looking to be “indemnified” or “covered” in simple English, should the agency worker cause injury or property damage, or make a mistake that costs the hirer money. In these circumstances, the hirer will make a claim against the recruiter and the policy, if set up correctly will protect the recruiter against legal costs or damage claims made against them, where they become legally liable. Therefore it is important that they let insurers know at the start of the policy or at renewal what percentage of turnover is done on standard REC terms or hirers non-standard terms. The premium will be calculated based on the percentage mix.

Some policies still insist that cover only applies where standard REC terms have been agreed. Be careful to notify insurers, if this changes.

Our Recruiters Choice policy doesn’t need you to refer every contract but you must discuss the fact that you do sign or agree non-standard contracts either at the start of the policy or at renewal, or at the first opportunity when you agree to work under clients terms.

Phrases to be aware of that may need you to refer contracts to insurers:-

• Where the hirer wants to be noted as an additional insured or co-insured on the policy
• Where the hirer wants Consequential Loss to be covered
• Where the phrase – unlimited indemnity appears in the contract
• Where the phrase wilful and malicious acts appears in the contact
• Where the legal jurisdiction is other than UK or EU (ie where a claim may be brought against the recruiter)
• Where the business services you are supplying are anything else but labour supply
• Where the contract requires a higher limit of indemnity
• Where the client wants you to cover the error and omission of the worker – this may require Vicarious cover on Professional Indemnity if supplying workers who are providing professional services

If you are starting to supply temporary workers as opposed to permanent workers, there could be many other issues that need reviewing apart from Liability and Professional Indemnity such as Legal Expenses, Employment Disputes and AWR.

It is important to discuss these issues with the broker to ensure the right cover is in place.
Don't rely on the umbrella company or single person Ltd company insurance policy - your name is on the contract.

The golden rule is that if you are unsure, then contact the broker and get a confirmation in writing to state that cover is in place for that contract.

Jelf Manson carries out contract vetting (from an insurance perspective) for all its clients which can assist in a contract tender situation – do not wait until the day before a contract commences as there may be a premium to pay for the higher contract risk, which will eat into your margin.

For more information please contact

Cathi Boult

0161 245 1274

07818 035 305

Cathi.boult@jelfgroup.com

Jelf Insurance Brokers Ltd* (Reg No. 0837227) is part of Jelf Group plc (Reg No. 2975376) and are registered in England and Wales at Hillside Court, Bowling Hill, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6JX. *Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Not all products and services offered are regulated by the FSA.

How much do you know about RTI?

You might be aware of changes that are being introduced regarding HMRC. In fact, even though the new system won’t be implemented until April 2013, some organisations are already involved in pilot schemes. But, if you aren’t familiar with the changes, you’re not alone. And it’s not too late to get to grips with it to ensure that your business is prepared.

So, next year, the introduction of Real-Time Information (RTI) will mean that employers tell HMRC about the tax, National Insurance contributions (NICs) and any other deductions when or before payment is made to employees, rather than waiting until the end of the tax year. This will mean that an electronic PAYE return must be filed every time employees are paid, but it won’t affect self-employed workers, such as contractors.

The idea behind this is to improve the way the PAYE system operates and make it more accurate for both employees and employers. Although potentially daunting, the whole process will become less of a burden. It removes the need for the end of year return (forms P35 and P14) and will also simplify the employee starting and leaving process.

And there are other benefits. PAYE will become more accurate for individuals, there will be a reduction in the number of bills and repayments sent after the end of the tax year, it will be easier for HMRC to pursue late payments effectively, and we’ll see a reduction in Tax Credits errors and fraud.

However, as with any new legislation, we can’t pretend that it’s going to be easy for business owners to adapt to the changes. Payroll can be a complex process and RTI will undoubtedly add to its challenges. At first, it’s likely to bring in extra admin work, and it will take some time to get used to, particularly for smaller organisations.

Other potential issues for you to be aware of are possible cashflow problems if immediate payment is needed, particularly if there is a ‘pay when paid’ contract. There’s also the worry of facing financial penalties and inspections if it isn’t implemented correctly, which puts greater pressure on businesses.

Over time though, RTI reporting will become an integral part of an employer’s normal payroll activity – it will just take some getting used to. And, if you start preparing sooner rather than later, it won’t be as much as a shock for you. You should start by looking closely at your payroll processes and systems. Are they able to cope with RTI?

If you currently process payroll in-house, your software will probably need to be upgraded to meet the new requirements, but speak to your software providers about this for some advice. It may also be worth you considering outsourcing, which would take the pressure off of you.

Unfortunately, changes such as this can’t be avoided, but if you start thinking about it now, you’ve got time to weigh up the options – don’t leave it until it’s too late. Over time you’ll see the benefits, but it just takes a little bit of adjustment and planning. And remember that you’re not on your own. You may be a boutique recruiter, but by being part of TEAM you have that support network, so make sure to share any concerns with fellow members. Chances are, they’ll be feeling the same as you!

Liz Longman
www.jobsatteam.com

TEAM - The Employment Agents Movement UK Limited

Registered in England No. 03949265 Registered Office 3 Hillbrow House, Linden Drive, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RJ

Guest Blog: Is giving up your employment rights for a share in the business really the way ahead?

It’s that time of year again when media headlines are buzzing with proposals from the recent political Party Conferences. One proposal that has attracted column inches and is very likely to interest those working in the Employment Agency sector are George Osbourne’s plans to introduce new owner-employee contracts of employment. Indeed, if implemented, it could impact you directly as an employer but it will almost certainly also affect the way your end user clients engage with individuals.

Under the radical new plans, employees will effectively give up certain rights in return for shares in the business (of between £2,000 and £50,000). It is intended that the rights to be sacrificed will include the ability to claim unfair dismissal, to be entitled to a redundancy payment, to make a request for flexible working and also to request time off for training. In addition, women will be required to provide more notice of their intention to return from maternity leave.  

At first glance the concept and the stated reasoning behind it appear attractive, particularly the argument that employees would feel more engaged in a business (as they would have a personal interest in how well it performs).  A point further boosted by the indications that there will be associated tax incentives. In addition, giving up certain rights surely means a more flexible relationship with less expensive and time consuming claims which has to be a good thing surely?

Unfortunately, digging slightly deeper I think it is clear that the proposals will actually be unworkable both practically and legally and will also end up costing many employers more in the long run. All this without even going down the road the Unions have as to whether it is ‘morally right’ to allow employers to get round basic rights or how you increase flexibility by removing an employee’s right to seek flexible working!

For starters, employers will need to consider the cost benefit in offering shareholdings against the cost of implementing such a scheme.  Recent statistics have indicated that the average unfair dismissal award is £9,000 and so it is arguable whether employers will actually save money by preventing employees from bringing claims (particularly where they are granting shareholdings towards the £50,000 mark).

Another real concern centres on whether employees will be required to take advice before signing away their rights.  Currently, the law requires employees to seek independent legal advice before they can agree to waive their employment rights.  It is not clear if this will continue to be the case and if so who will pay for the advice (although it is likely this will fall to the employer).  Alternatively the law may be changed which will no doubt leave employees in a vulnerable position particularly in light of current the desperation in the job market. Another point the Unions are worried about.

The preparation of the owner-employee contracts is also likely to increase red tape as opposed to cutting it, as employers will not only need to deal with the employment relationship in the contract but also the shareholder relationship. This leads on to questions as to whether owner-employees will be able to sell their shares if they leave the business and if so at what price.  This point will particularly problematic where the parting of ways is acrimonious as the employer and employee will almost certainly have very different ideas as to what the shares are worth. Valuations generally cost money and it is likely to be just one more point to argue over. All good business for lawyers but not for the parties involved.

The biggest issue may however be the fact that employees will still be able to bring claims in respect of discrimination and automatically unfair dismissals (for example for blowing the whistle). In practice it is difficult to see an employee who is particularly aggrieved at the manner of parting not seeking to exploit any other route for redress open to them. As anyone who has ever been involved in a discrimination or automatically unfair dismissal claims knows, they tend to be more costly and difficult to deal with. Accordingly we could just be swapping a more straight forward dispute for a more difficult and costly one.

So whilst I think credit should be given to the Government for at least trying to find a solution to the red tape faced by businesses and a way out of the current economic difficulties I think they may need to go back to the drawing board on this one.   

Leon Deakin

Associate

for and on behalf of Thomas Eggar LLP

www.thomaseggar.com

TEAM - The Employment Agents Movement UK Limited

Registered in England No. 03949265 Registered Office 3 Hillbrow House, Linden Drive, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RJ

What to remember when working with other agencies

TEAM Members represent a powerful UK wide network and we are very proud of our ever-growing community of independent recruiters. We feel that as a collaborative group, our Members have far more to offer when compared to some of  the larger Plc’s which often resort to ridiculously low fees in order to win business, quantity over quality!  We have had some fantastic examples of successful split-fee campaigns, but to make sure all our Members really get the most out of working together, here are a few things to remember when fee-sharing.

Agree everything up front

In order to ensure there is complete transparency between all involved, make sure you agree everything up front and confirm the same in writing, including the percentage fee split, the terms agreed with the client, the role each side will take, and what you both  deem a successful outcome. TEAM does supply a co-operation agreement which we would highly recommend using. 

Be open

The network, although guided by the TEAM Constitution and Code, is about honesty and trust. All our Members have joined for similar reasons and they are all striving for the same end goal: to be successful independent recruiters. So make sure you are honest with each other when it comes to fee-sharing. Voice any concerns before making any formal agreement to make sure all parties will benefit and are happy with any arrangements.

Seek advice if needed

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, seek advice from other Members, our dedicated legal teams and of course the TEAM Head Office. If you are unsure how fee sharing works just ask any of us or come along to any of our events and speak to others to find out how you can benefit. And of course, don’t forget to share your success with us in our quarterly TEAM Xchange competition to be in for a chance of winning a fantastic prize!

TEAM - The Employment Agents Movement UK Limited

Registered in England No. 03949265 Registered Office 3 Hillbrow House, Linden Drive, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RJ

Managing fee disputes – keep a paper trail

We had another successful TEAM meeting in London last week with the Executive and Specialist Recruitment  group coming together to share ideas and network. The conversations were extremely energetic and we were all very encouraged by the vast number of split fee opportunities shared at the beginning.

However, one new theme which went down a treat was sharing best practice when it comes to working better and smarter as recruiters. It was from these discussions that the issue of how to manage fee disputes cropped up. With the economic situation leading to businesses tightening budgets and looking to reduce costs in every possible aspect, it’s safe to say that we've all faced tough negotiations for work.

What we all seem to be facing, though, are even further challenges once placements have been made. There was a lot of talk about clients challenging or refusing to pay invoices which have been submitted – something which can have a huge impact on independent recruiters. 

At TEAM we understand that when it comes to fee disputes it’s often difficult and expensive to seek legal advice. As such, we have a free legal advice line available to all members, so if you are in the situation where you need legal help, do contact the helpline.

Obviously, though, prevention is the best solution and this situation is something which we all wish to avoid. And whilst you can’t stop clients from being difficult, you can make sure you have the documentation you need to ensure you get paid. Make sure that any agreement is written down in an email or letter so when clients challenge you, you’re able to present them with the original agreement. If any conversations happen over the phone, make sure you follow up with an email outlining the main points. This note only gives you a record for the future, but provides an opportunity to clarify the conversation and ensure noting was misconstrued.

I would advise anyone to do this regardless of the relationship they have with their client. There have been cases of long standing clients suddenly challenging invoices so never rely solely on previous experiences – you never know what can happen in this turbulent climate!  

TEAM - The Employment Agents Movement UK Limited

Registered in England No. 03949265 Registered Office 3 Hillbrow House, Linden Drive, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RJ

A problem shared is a problem solved

In such a competitive market, it’s fundamental for small, specialist recruiters to be able to work together. As a result, we really encourage our members to support each other, and our TEAM meetings are a great way to network and have your questions answered.

One way of improving your business prospects is through split fee placements, and a recent example can be seen from the partnership between two of our members. Talent management consultancy, J1 Consulting, and independent specialist in Finance and Accountancy Recruitment, Onyx Recruitment, recently worked together to fill a difficult specification. Whilst they both met each other outside of our networked group, they used the TEAM model to successfully fill a niche role, and J1 Consulting has since joined TEAM. 

Nick Everard, Managing Director of J1 Consulting, came across the brief of finding a senior management accountant for an international mining company. Not only was the role in Burkina Faso, West Africa, but there were several particular requirements of the candidate: they needed to speak fluent English and French, it was essential that they had worked in Africa before, they needed to be a qualified accountant with previous experience of mining or heavy industry, and they had to be able to work for six weeks on, three weeks off starting immediately. 

After recognising that he needed to share the specification with other recruiters, Nick found an ally in TEAM member and Regional Director for London, Ian Hardy, who is Director of Onyx Recruitment. Together, they put forward five people for the role, and one was called upon by the client. Coincidently, both the candidate and the client were in the same part of the world so they arranged to have an interview face-to-face. After a successful meeting, a job offer was made the next day, and was accepted.

This is a great example of how recruiters can benefit by partnering on a particular placement – you don’t always have to think of yourselves as competitors. In TEAM, we have a variety of boutique recruiters specialising in different sectors, and there’s often someone to help you fill difficult roles, or members know of others who can help.
It works the other way too – our members can help each other to find the ideal role for some of their candidates. By working together and building these relationships, you can create more opportunities for success for the candidate, the client and yourself. 

TEAM - The Employment Agents Movement UK Limited

Registered in England No. 03949265 Registered Office 3 Hillbrow House, Linden Drive, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RJ